Who is Swami Sarvapriyananda? Hindu monk invited by Anthropic ‘not for a job’ but to give AI a ‘moral compass’

Social media is flooded with videos of Hindu monk Swami Sarvapriyananda, who claimed that he was invited to Anthropic headquarters in San Francisco.

The viral videos drew attention to Anthropic's purported engagement with religious scholars and philosophers to train AI and discuss moral and ethical issues.

In one such clip, Swami Sarvapriyananda is heard saying that Anthropic initially approached him for an online interview, "not for a job." He was later invited to visit the company's headquarters in San Francisco.

He said an AI booked his flight and his hotel, and then authorities made him sign a Non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

"We will show you some things, but you cannot talk about it to the world, But the world now knows about it," Sarvapriyananda said while recalling his visit to the Anthropic headquarters.

Why was Sarvapriyananda invited to Anthropic headquarters?

Sarvapriyananda, however, teased some details of his visit, referring to "shiny kid on the block, Mythos" and "Project Glasswing".

Sarvapriyananda said he met religious thinkers from different traditions, as well as counsellors and mental health professionals.

Sarvapriyananda spoke about the meeting during a June 2026 talk at the Unity of Dallas, according to India Today.

"It was to train Claude [Anthropic's AI model], something to do with AI ethics...Anthropic itself has pushed hard for ethics in India," he could be heard saying in a purported video.

He said the discussions centred on questions of AI ethics and Claude's training.

Earlier, the New York Times reported that Anthropic has been holding private discussions with religious and philosophical thinkers from traditions including Catholicism, Judaism, Sikhism and evangelical Christianity.

The conversations reportedly explored issues of morality and ethics, as well as whether increasingly advanced AI systems could develop consciousness or possess some form of moral status.