📜Understand Constitutional AI as a Training Principle
See exactly how a written set of principles becomes a training signal — through self-critique, revision, and AI-generated preference labels. By the end you'll draft a 5-principle constitution for one of your own AI applications.
Phase 1Why a Constitution Beats a Rulebook
See why human feedback alone can't scale alignment
A constitution is a training signal, not a policy doc
6 minA constitution is a training signal, not a policy doc
Human feedback runs out of humans before it runs out of model
6 minHuman feedback runs out of humans before it runs out of model
Move the human out of the loop, leave their judgment behind
6 minMove the human out of the loop, leave their judgment behind
Three words doing a lot of load-bearing work
7 minThree words doing a lot of load-bearing work
Phase 2One Principle, One Loop, End to End
Walk a single principle through critique, revise, and preference
Critique, revise, label — the whole machine in one diagram
7 minCritique, revise, label — the whole machine in one diagram
Revise: turn the critique into a better answer
7 minRevise: turn the critique into a better answer
RLAIF: the model becomes its own preference labeler
7 minRLAIF: the model becomes its own preference labeler
One principle is a demo. A constitution is a stack
7 minOne principle is a demo. A constitution is a stack
Failure modes the loop produces and how to spot them
7 minFailure modes the loop produces and how to spot them
Phase 3Where CAI Meets the Real World
Compare RLAIF to RLHF and stress-test a constitution
Your team has $500 in API budget and 50,000 prompts to label
7 minYour team has $500 in API budget and 50,000 prompts to label
Six months in, the model started refusing things it used to help with
8 minSix months in, the model started refusing things it used to help with
A red team turns your constitution against itself
8 minA red team turns your constitution against itself
When to skip CAI entirely
8 minWhen to skip CAI entirely
Phase 4Draft Your 5-Principle Constitution
Draft a 5-principle constitution for your own AI app
Write a 5-principle constitution for your own AI app
25 minWrite a 5-principle constitution for your own AI app
Frequently asked questions
- What is Constitutional AI in plain language?
- This is covered in the “Understand Constitutional AI as a Training Principle” learning path. Start with daily 5-minute micro-lessons that build from fundamentals to hands-on application.
- How does Constitutional AI differ from RLHF?
- This is covered in the “Understand Constitutional AI as a Training Principle” learning path. Start with daily 5-minute micro-lessons that build from fundamentals to hands-on application.
- What are the principles in Anthropic's constitution?
- This is covered in the “Understand Constitutional AI as a Training Principle” learning path. Start with daily 5-minute micro-lessons that build from fundamentals to hands-on application.
- What is RLAIF and why does it work?
- This is covered in the “Understand Constitutional AI as a Training Principle” learning path. Start with daily 5-minute micro-lessons that build from fundamentals to hands-on application.
- Can I write my own constitution for an AI product?
- This is covered in the “Understand Constitutional AI as a Training Principle” learning path. Start with daily 5-minute micro-lessons that build from fundamentals to hands-on application.
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