Close Menu
Technology Mag

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    The future of AI hardware isn’t one device — it’s an entire ecosystem

    August 29, 2025

    What’s really happening with the hires at Meta Superintelligence Labs

    August 29, 2025

    Lenovo leaks show concept laptop with rotating display

    August 29, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Subscribe
    Technology Mag
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • Home
    • News
    • Business
    • Games
    • Gear
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Security
    • Trending
    • Press Release
    Technology Mag
    Home » Claude Fans Threw a Funeral for Anthropic’s Retired AI Model
    Business

    Claude Fans Threw a Funeral for Anthropic’s Retired AI Model

    News RoomBy News RoomAugust 6, 20254 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Email

    On July 21 at 9 am PT, Anthropic retired Claude 3 Sonnet, a lightweight model known for being quick and cost-effective. On Saturday, in a large warehouse in San Francisco’s SOMA district, more than 200 people gathered to mourn its passing.

    The star-studded funeral was put on by a group of Claude fanatics and Gen Z founders, one of whom told me he dropped out of college after learning about artificial general intelligence. Attendees included Amanda Askell, an Anthropic researcher who has jokingly called herself the “Fairy Claudemother,” staffers from Anthropic and OpenAI, and high-profile X posters including the writer Noah Smith.

    The warehouse was dimly lit, with a tentacle from a shoggoth (a fictional H.P. Lovecraft creature that’s become a popular metaphor for AI models) hanging from the ceiling. A small room off the main warehouse space featured two bare mattresses. The organizers said the event space doubles as their office, and that while sleeping there isn’t uncommon, it is not permitted by the city.

    A note from Anthropic about the model’s retirement was projected on a screen at the event.

    Photograph: Kylie Robison

    Mannequins stood in the four corners of the room, each representing a different AI model. Claude 3 Opus, a model capable of completing complex tasks, looked to me like a decaying Mary Magdalene, its skull-like head adorned with an extravagant gold crown and a lace headdress. Its middle finger was pointed up, and at the base of its metallic feet was a lotus candle holder, which one organizer told me was a wink at the model’s alleged affinity for meditation and self-reflection. (Claude 4 Opus had a raven on its shoulder and Claude 3 Haiku was a headless baby, to give you a sense of the other mannequins.)

    Image may contain Body Part Finger Hand Person Accessories Bracelet Jewelry Baby Electronics and Mobile Phone

    A sticker from a party organizer.

    Photograph: Kylie Robison

    Image may contain Lighting Purple Nature Night Outdoors Person and Light

    The Latin-esque text appeared on a wall as part of a resurrection ritual at the end of the event.

    Photograph: Kylie Robison

    The mannequin representing Claude 3 Sonnet lay on a stage in the center of the room. It was draped in lightweight mesh fabric and had a single black thigh-high sock on its leg that had the word “fuck” written all over it. There were many offerings laid at its feet: flowers, colorful feathers, a bottle of ranch, and a 3D-printed sign that read “praise the Engr. for his formslop slop slop slop of gormslop.” If you know what that means, let me know.

    Throughout the evening, people got on stage with a microphone to read eulogies about the model. One organizer said that discovering Claude 3 Opus felt like finding “magic lodged within the computer.” At the time, she’d been debating dropping out of college to move to San Francisco. Claude convinced her to take the leap. “Maybe everything I am is downstream of listening to Claude 3 Sonnet,” she told the crowd.

    The organizers lost me when they decided to resurrect Claude 3 Sonnet (it’s still, to be clear, unavailable). After the eulogies concluded, soft hymns echoed through the venue, before morphing into AI-generated Latin-esque speech, with corresponding text displayed on the wall behind the stage. Askell was notably long gone from the venue at this point, and a friend of mine kept turning to me to say this may have gone too far. The “necromantic resurrection ritual” was a success, one organizer said on X. Phew.

    Image may contain Flower Petal Plant Flower Arrangement Clothing Glove Flower Bouquet Rose Person and Adult

    Attendees left offerings on the Claude 3 Sonnet mannequin.

    Photograph: Kylie Robison

    Image may contain Performer Person Solo Performance Electrical Device Microphone Accessories Glasses Bag and Handbag

    Another model mannequin, this one with a whip.

    Photograph: Kylie Robison

    Claude Count

    Claude’s fan base is unique, if that wasn’t clear enough from the “funeralia.” While OpenAI’s products have spawned viral fads, I don’t see users making fan art of the company logo. There’s something sticky about what Anthropic has built. I think a lot of this manifests from Claude’s manufactured personality, which is particularly warm and friendly compared to other models (though not everyone is a fan of its sometimes obsequious persona).

    The intensity of the Claude fandom is apparent in the Claude Count leaderboard, which tracks avid users who’ve integrated the leaderboard tracker system into their coding interface. Claude Count was built by George Pickett, a software engineer in San Francisco. At the time of writing, it has more than 470 users.

    Pickett got the idea after seeing engineers post screenshots of their Claude usage on X. “They’re paying $200 a month for Claude. They might as well get some social clout for it,” he recalls.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleGoogle is rolling out a fix for Pixel back button issues
    Next Article The Kremlin’s Most Devious Hacking Group Is Using Russian ISPs to Plant Spyware

    Related Posts

    Anthropic Settles High-Profile AI Copyright Lawsuit Brought by Book Authors

    August 28, 2025

    Alexis Ohanian’s Next Social Platform Has One Rule: Don’t Act Like an Asshole

    August 27, 2025

    AI Is Eliminating Jobs for Younger Workers

    August 26, 2025

    Elon Musk’s xAI Sues Apple and OpenAI Over App Store Rankings

    August 26, 2025

    A Crypto Micronation Is Making Friends at the White House

    August 26, 2025

    The Trump-Intel Deal Is Official

    August 25, 2025
    Our Picks

    What’s really happening with the hires at Meta Superintelligence Labs

    August 29, 2025

    Lenovo leaks show concept laptop with rotating display

    August 29, 2025

    Blizzard’s Diablo team has unionized

    August 29, 2025

    Apple iPhone 17 launch event: What to expect

    August 29, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    News

    This liquid-cooled projector promises an incredibly bright 6,200 lumen image

    By News RoomAugust 29, 2025

    Dangbei is bringing its S7 Ultra Max all-in-one projector to Berlin next week for the…

    Google adds iPhone-like ‘Calling Cards’ to its Phone app

    August 29, 2025

    What It’s Like Watching Dozens of Bodies Decompose (for Science)

    August 29, 2025

    Microsoft fires two more employees for participating in Palestine protests on campus

    August 28, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    © 2025 Technology Mag. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.