Harvard Students Put Expanded Claude Access to Use in Classes, Personal Projects | The Harvard Crimson

Harvard College students are using their newly expanded access to Anthropic’s AI tool, Claude, for schoolwork, extracurricular projects, and personal tasks. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) began giving students access to the platform through the university this summer.

The FAS first announced in April that it would add Claude to the AI tools available to students and staff. At the same time, it planned to limit access to ChatGPT Edu so that people would have to request it. The changes to how university members could access these tools took place over the summer.

Some students said they prefer Claude because of what they think about Anthropic, the company that made the tool.

“The only reason why I prefer Claude over other LLMs is because the CEO and staff of Anthropic didn’t sign the deal with the Pentagon,” Sean “Brady” Merrill ’30 said. He was referring to a disagreement between Anthropic and the Department of Defense earlier this year about rules to protect AI safety.

Conner M. Lewandowski ’30 also said he preferred Claude because he felt that Anthropic’s leaders and values matched his own better than those of other AI companies.

“If I’m going to be able to use these models, I’d rather support a company that has a vision for AI and morals that align with what I think is right,” he said.

During their first semester with access provided by the FAS, students have found many ways to use their expanded Claude credits. In some courses, such as General Education 1201, “Foundations of NeuroAI: Synergies Between the Sciences of Natural and Artificial Intelligence,” the syllabus includes activities that use Claude.

“This specific Gen Ed is very good at teaching us how to use AI for studying because it integrates it into a lot of the assignments,” Iris A. Heikkinen ’29 said.

Leonardo Miranda ’30 is also using Claude for his studies. In his first-year seminar, “Letting Claude Cook,” students have to use the AI tool for a class project.

“There is no limit of how many credits you can use,” he said. “I’ve already used a lot of Harvard’s money.”

Miranda said the course was his “first use of the expanded Claude credits.” It is taught by Douglas P. Finkbeiner, the FAS’ senior adviser on generative AI, who previously worked for Anthropic.

Students are also using Claude outside the classroom, including for personal projects.

“I made a website that takes my Google Calendar and it shows you the weather for each day,” Santiago D. Revilla ’30 said. “I did that because I wanted to go out more — go on more walks and runs — so I could plan ahead of time.”

Other students are using Claude for activities outside their classes. Ankit Biswas ’30, a research fellow at the Cambridge Boston Align Initiative, said the tool has helped him work more efficiently.

“It is very convenient workflow for me to simply tell Claude that ‘Here, I have this idea; scaffold that idea’ and let Claude take care of the implementation,” he said.

Merrill said he has also used Claude to help build models for a racing boat club he belongs to.

“I’ve used Claude Premium to help make models that are correct, and utilize it to ensure that we’re getting the best possible result out of what we’re doing,” he said.

Biswas said he believes the FAS’s expanded access to Claude will help prepare students for a future in which AI tools are used more and more often.

“I think we are moving increasingly towards a future where these tools will be ubiquitous,” he said. “Everyone will be using them, and I think our college needs to prepare students for a future like that.”

“It is broadly good that Harvard is expanding access to those tools,” he added.