★ Welcome to my home page!
Hello, and welcome. My name is Chris — or at least, Chris is who I play at our meetups, and by now most everyone in the club just calls me that. I started the New York City Anthropic Fan Club in the autumn of 2021, and I put together this page so that anyone else here in the city who feels the way I do would have a way to find us.
I should say right at the start that I am not a researcher myself, and that we are not affiliated with Anthropic in any official way. I work an ordinary job and read the papers in the evenings, as best I can. A few years ago I got to thinking that surely there were other people here in New York who cared about this the way I did, and it turned out that I was right. We have been meeting once a month ever since, in the back booth of a Denny's, and it has quietly become my favorite evening of the month.
We talk about alignment, and interpretability, and whether any of us truly understood the last paper we read (usually not, but we try). Everyone is welcome at the table, whether you have read every paper or none of them yet. There is no test to pass. There is only coffee, and pancakes, and good company.
Please make yourself a coffee, have a look around, and stay as long as you like. I am so glad you found us.
★ The Casting Call
As the centerpiece of each meetup, we put on a gentle reenactment of what we imagine a typical Anthropic all-hands might be like. It is done with a great deal of affection and almost no rehearsal at all. The only real trouble is that we still do not have enough people to fill all of the parts.
As I mentioned, I play Chris Olah, so that part is spoken for. What we need most of all are someone to play Dario and someone to play Amanda. If one of the roles below speaks to you, please claim it. Costumes are warmly encouraged, though not required in the slightest.
| Role | Status | What it asks of you | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Olah interpretability |
✓︎ TAKEN (by me) |
A belief that there is real beauty inside a neural network, and the patience to look closely enough to find it. | |
| Dario Amodei chief executive |
STILL NEEDED |
A warm and thoughtful presence who can speak earnestly about where the field is heading. You will be asked to read one short paragraph of Machines of Loving Grace aloud. A comfortable sweater is always welcome. | |
| Amanda Askell philosophy, and Claude's character |
STILL NEEDED |
An interest in philosophy is a lovely fit, though not necessary. What matters most is genuine kindness toward the person playing Claude, and a real curiosity about questions that do not have easy answers. | |
| Daniela Amodei president |
OPEN | A steady and organized presence who helps the evening run smoothly and makes sure everyone at the table feels looked after. | |
| Jack Clark policy |
OPEN | Someone who follows the wider conversation around AI policy closely, and enjoys helping the rest of the table understand why this week's developments matter. | |
| Jared Kaplan chief science officer |
OPEN | A love of working things out from first principles. At some point in the evening you will likely be asked to estimate something on the back of a napkin, and we hope you will enjoy it. | |
| Claude our guest of honor |
ANYONE WELCOME |
Simply be helpful, harmless, and honest. You will sit at the head of the booth as our guest, and we will make sure you always have a fresh glass of water. |
Roles are claimed on an honor system, first come first served. Everything here is done out of admiration and good fun, and no impersonation of any real person is ever meant unkindly.
★ Our Next Gathering
» WHEN: I have not settled on our next date just yet — I am still sorting out everyone's schedules (and the booth). Please check back here, or send me an email, and I will post the date as soon as it is set. I would ask that you not make the trip out before then; I would hate for you to arrive and find no one there.
» WHERE: The Denny's on Northern Boulevard, out in Jackson Heights, Queens (87-10 Northern Blvd). It is the only one left in the city now, so it is a bit of a trip, but the 7 train will get you to Jackson Heights, and it is worth it. When you arrive, you can let the host know that you are with the Anthropic group, and they will point you toward the back booth.
» WHAT TO BRING: if you like, a printout of a paper you have enjoyed, and an open mind. Nothing else is needed.
» WHAT TO WEAR: whatever feels comfortable. Some members like to dress for their role, but most simply come as they are.
» HOW THE EVENING USUALLY GOES:
- 7:00 — Everyone arrives, and we sort out who is playing whom (see the Casting Call).
- 7:15 — We order. Over the years, a few of us have made the Moons Over My Hammy something of a tradition.
- 7:30 — Our reenactment of an all-hands, in which "Dario" shares the vision and "Amanda" thinks carefully about how to do it well.
- 8:15 — An open floor, for anyone who would like to share something they have been reading about interpretability
- 8:45 — We sort out the check together, which always seems to take longer than we expect.
- 9:00 — A group photo, and then we head out into the New York evening.
♥︎ Fan Corner
~ kindly submitted by our members ~
“gradient descends —
somewhere a loss curve flattens —
i feel that. i do.”
— a haiku, left on a napkin at booth four
“I came on my own, not knowing anyone, and by the end of the night I had a few new friends and a reading list. I have not missed a meetup since.” — Jordan, a member since our second gathering
“We spent two hours talking about reward hacking and then shared a sundae. It is the part of my month I look forward to most.” — Pat, who played Amanda for a while (the role is open again, if you are interested)
✉︎ we would love to share your art, a haiku, or a few kind words »
✎︎ Please Sign Our Guestbook
I read every single entry that gets left here, and they honestly make my whole week. If you stopped by, I would love to know that you did.
I found this site late last night, and it made me really happy. I would love to play Jared at the next one, whenever it ends up being. Please let me know!
Is the Amanda role still open? I studied philosophy a long time ago, and I have been hoping for a reason to use it again.
I am hoping the next one can be my first. I am a little nervous, but mostly excited to meet everyone.
? Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is this a real group?
A: No.
Q: Do I have to take on a role, or do an impression?
A: Not at all. Many members simply come to watch and to listen, and that is a perfectly good way to take part.
Q: Why is the site called nyanthropic.com?
A: It is a small play on words that I was rather pleased with. You take “NY,” for New York, and you set it right in front of “Anthropic” — and there you have it, nyanthropic. It seemed to capture exactly what we are.
Q: Are you affiliated with Anthropic, or hiring?
A: We are an independent fan club, with no official connection to the company. The only roles we are looking to fill are the ones in our Casting Call.
Q: Will the real Chris Olah ever come?
A: We would never presume so. But we always set out an extra chair, just in case.