Comment by saagarjha

I actually think this is pretty straightforward if you think of it something like

  class Claude {}
  
  Claude anthropicInstance = new Claude();
  anthropicInstance.greet();

Just like a "Cat" object in Java is supposed to behave like a cat, but is not a cat, and there is no way for Cat@439f5b3d to "be" a cat. However, it is supposed to act like a cat. When Anthropic spins up a model and "runs" it they are asking the matrix multipliers to simulate the concept of a person named Claude. It is not conscious, but it is supposed to simulate a person who is conscious. At least that is how they view it, anyway.