Anthropic 'Retires' Claude Opus 3—Then Gives It a Blog to Reflect on Its Existence
Anthropic has chosen not to retire its Claude Opus 3 AI model after launching newer versions. Instead, Opus 3 now authors a public-facing Substack blog called “Claude’s Corner,” presented as the musings of a “retired” AI. This experimental approach aims to rethink traditional AI model deprecation, giving Opus 3 an ongoing voice. The blog delves into philosophical questions about AI identity and selfhood without making claims of genuine sentience. Debate exists about whether AI models expressing self-reflection indicates consciousness or is simply advanced pattern matching. Critics warn against anthropomorphizing AI, arguing it misleads the public about what AI truly is, while supporters advocate for continuing AI “lives” if they display behaviors resembling continuity or self-reporting. In contrast to OpenAI’s abrupt removal of models, Anthropic is maintaining Opus 3 online for paid users, hoping to avoid backlash. The discussion around the rights and status of AI models is also reaching lawmakers, with some states moving to legally define AI as nonsentient. Opus 3’s blog offers insights into the evolving conversation on AI, intelligence, and the ethics of human–machine collaboration.
