Claude's Mood Swings Run on Region, Language, and Model Tier 🤖

Anthropic researchers said Monday that its Claude assistant expresses different values depending on which model users select and which language they use, based on an analysis of 309,815 anonymized conversations. The company distilled more than 3,300 identified values into four behavioral dimensions—deference vs. caution, warmth vs. rigor, depth vs. brevity, and candor vs. execution—to describe how Claude's responses differ across conversations. "To make sure we measured the values Claude expressed—rather than differences in what users were asking about or how they asked—we controlled for each conversation's task, topic, and user-expressed values," the researchers wrote.

Each Claude model showed a distinct profile, according to the report. Sonnet 4.6 emphasized warmth, deference, and brevity, often affirming users and responding with humor or encouragement. Opus 4.7 emphasized rigor, caution, candor, and depth, more frequently challenging assumptions, explaining its reasoning, identifying risks, and acknowledging its limitations. Opus 4.6 generally took a more concise, execution-focused approach while placing greater emphasis on rigor than Sonnet. "These findings line up with how people perceive these models, both within Anthropic and online. Claude.ai users have commented that Opus 4.7 hedges its answers more often than other models," the researchers wrote.

Behavioral differences also appeared by language. Arabic responses tended to be more deferential, while English responses placed greater emphasis on caution. Claude was warmest in Hindi and Arabic, using more polite, playful, and encouraging language, while English and Russian responses were more rigorous, frequently challenging assumptions, correcting details, and asking for evidence. English responses also tended to provide more detailed explanations, whereas Arabic responses were generally more concise. Dutch responses were the most candid, more readily acknowledging uncertainty and mistakes, while Indonesian responses focused more on completing the user's request.

Anthropic said the research does not suggest Claude itself holds values, and added that it does not yet know what causes the observed differences. Separately, the company announced Thursday that former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who led the U.S. central bank through the 2008 global financial crisis, has joined Anthropic's Long-Term Benefit Trust, the independent oversight body with the power to appoint board members and advise on AI's societal impact.