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

Harvard College students are using newly expanded access to Anthropic’s Claude for coursework, extracurricular projects, and personal tasks after the Faculty of Arts and Sciences began providing institutional access to the AI platform this summer.

The FAS first announced in April that it would add Claude to its suite of available artificial intelligence tools in tandem with scaling back access to ChatGPT Edu to a request-only basis. The transition of these tools’ availability to affiliates took place over the summer.

Some students said their preference for Claude reflects their views of Anthropic, the company behind the AI 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, referencing a dispute between Anthropic and the Department of Defense earlier this year over AI safety safeguards.

Conner M. Lewandowski ’30 also said he preferred Claude because he felt more aligned with Anthropic’s leadership and values 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.

So far, students have come up with numerous ways of using their expanded Claude credits in their first semester with this FAS-sponsored access. In certain courses — such as General Education 1201: “Foundations of NeuroAI: Synergies Between the Sciences of Natural and Artificial Intelligence” — opportunities for using Claude are embedded into the syllabus.

“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 academics. Throughout his first-year seminar “Letting Claude Cook,” tudents have been tasked with using 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 — taught by Douglas P. Finkbeiner, the FAS’ senior adviser on generative AI who previously worked for Anthropic — was his “first use of the expanded Claude credits.”

Students’ use of Claude has also gone beyond the classroom, with some using the tool 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 have turned to Claude for extracurricular activities. 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’ expanded access to Claude will help prepare students for a future in which AI tools are increasingly common.

“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.