The age of AI is different from other tech movements, but it is also leading to some unusual branding choices.
Anthropic, the company behind the Claude series of AI models, is sponsoring an alligator named Claude at the California Academy of Sciences. Claude the alligator was born in 1995, but has been at the California Academy of Sciences since 2008. Anthropic has now decided to pledge ongoing support to the maintenance of Claude’s freshwater enclosure, and to Claude’s food and veterinary care. Anthropic is also running a 24*7 “Claude Cam” that lets internet users observe Claude in real time.
“While Claude is well known for his long stretches of stillness, the webcam will give eagle-eyed viewers the opportunity to catch him in the act of swimming, scratching, and snacking, proving to doubters that he does, in fact, move,” the museum said in an announcement.
“I’m thrilled we can help bring Claude the alligator — everyone’s favorite Cal Academy resident — to families everywhere through the new live webcam,” said Daniela Amodei, president of Anthropic, in a statement. “Growing up in San Francisco sparked my love of science, and today the California Academy of Sciences continues to ignite that same excitement for new generations of curious minds, including my own son.”
“The care of Claude the alligator is generously supported by Anthropic, the makers of Claude.ai,” a sign outside Claude’s enclosure says.
The AI age has come with some unconventional branding choices. Last year, a San Francisco-based AI startup named Artisan had run a marketing campaign that said “Stop hiring humans” on billboards across the city. More recently, AI startup Cluely became mainstream after developing a tool that helped developers cheat in coding interviews.