Inside Anthropic’s biggest design choices

On the latest episode of the ‘By Design’ podcast, Joel Lewenstein, Anthropic’s head of design, shares how he thinks about the role of design (and designers) in a rapidly changing landscape.

[Photo: courtesy Anthropic]

Cody Nelson is a freelance producer and writer in Chicago. He is the senior producer of By Design.

Anthropic’s Claude chatbot has opinions of its own, and it’s not afraid to share them.

“It should be a sparring partner with you,” says Joel Lewenstein, Anthropic’s design chief. “It shouldn’t take your thoughts verbatim. It should push back.”

Perhaps this is predictable from a product carrying the slogan “keep thinking.” But Claude’s quirky (and, at times, passive-aggressive) personality sets it apart from the competition. 

That’s on purpose, Lewenstein explains. “I find that to be a truly astonishing experience where I’m like, ‘Oh, you are not a sort of slavish executor of my vision. We are coproducing this outcome together.’ I think that’s really powerful.”

On the latest episode of By Design, Lewenstein, one of AI design’s most influential leaders, gives an exclusive, lengthy interview on all things Claude, Anthropic, and the role of designers in AI. 

Below are a few excerpts from the podcast, which have been edited for length and clarity. Check out the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. 

Why do I need to prompt Claude to double-check its work? Why isn’t that built in?

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