{
  "id": 13117965,
  "title": "Anthropic bans users from being 'cruel' to its AI systems",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/anthropic-bans-users-from-being-cruel-to-its-ai-systems",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-09T12:34:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Technology",
    "slug": "bbc-technology",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6j9k1l72wkgo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Anthropic, the creator of the AI system Claude, has decided to ban users from being cruel to its AI tools. The company announced on Thursday that it would update its usage policy to prohibit sustained and unnecessary abusive behavior. This policy update comes after Anthropic's decision to ban the use of Claude for deceptive campaigns, and to clarify that it cannot be used for deceiving voters or disrupting elections ahead of the US midterm elections.\n\nThe policy change has sparked debate over how to communicate with AI tools. While Anthropic said the new policy would only apply in extreme cases of repeated abuse, it remains unclear what exactly Anthropic considers abusive or cruel behavior towards its models. Some experts argue that anthropomorphizing AI systems can lead to misconceptions about their capabilities.\n\nAnthropic's move has drawn criticism from some quarters, with one expert suggesting that the policy could undermine abuse directed at humans and animals. The policy changes, first reported by The Verge, were made following an annual review of Anthropic's usage policy, and were also updated to address new or emerging risks in other areas.",
  "summary": "The firm said users can no longer engage in \"sustained and needless\" abusive behaviour towards the tech.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC News",
        "title": "Anthropic bans users from being 'cruel' to its AI systems",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/anthropic-bans-users-from-being-cruel-to-its-ai-systems-13118044",
        "published": "2026-10-09T12:34:27.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}