An Exceptional Week for the Claude Ecosystem
The week of December 15-21, 2025 marks major advances: Claude in Chrome exits beta, a new integration with Claude Code, two fascinating research projects (Bloom and Project Vend), and strategic partnerships.
Claude in Chrome: Available to All Paid Plans
December 18, 2025 — Claude in Chrome exits beta and becomes available to all paid users (Pro, Team, Enterprise).
Claude in Chrome is now available to all paid plans. We’ve also shipped an integration with Claude Code.
🇬🇧 Claude in Chrome is now available to all paid plans. We’ve also shipped an integration with Claude Code. — @claudeai on X
New Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Persistent Side Panel | Stays open during navigation, uses your logins and bookmarks |
| Claude Code Integration | /chrome command to test code directly in the browser |
| Error Detection | Claude sees client-side console errors |
Claude Code Integration
The new /chrome command allows Claude Code to:
- Test code live in the browser
- Validate its work visually
- See console errors to debug automatically
Using the extension, Claude Code can test code directly in the browser to validate its work. Claude can also see client-side errors via console logs.
🇬🇧 Using the extension, Claude Code can test code directly in the browser to validate its work. Claude can also see client-side errors via console logs. — @claudeai on X
🔗 Learn more about Claude in Chrome
Bloom: Open-Source Tool for Behavioral Evaluations
December 20, 2025 — Anthropic releases Bloom, an open-source framework to automatically generate behavioral evaluations of AI models.
What is Bloom?
Bloom allows researchers to specify a behavior and quantify its frequency and severity through automatically generated scenarios.
4-Step Pipeline
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| Understanding | Analysis of descriptions and example transcripts |
| Ideation | Generation of scenarios designed to trigger target behaviors |
| Rollout | Parallel execution with dynamic user/tool simulation |
| Judgment | Scoring of transcripts and suite-level analysis |
Evaluated Behaviors
Bloom tested 4 alignment-related behaviors on 16 frontier models:
- Delusional Sycophancy — Excessive flattery despite facts
- Long-horizon Sabotage — Subtle sabotage actions upon instruction
- Self-preservation — Attempts to resist modification/shutdown
- Self-preferential Bias — Favoritism towards oneself
Validation Results
- Successful separation of intentionally misaligned “model organisms” in 9 out of 10 cases
- Claude Opus 4.1: 0.86 Spearman correlation with human judgment
Access
- GitHub: github.com/safety-research/bloom
- Technical Report: alignment.anthropic.com/2025/bloom-auto-evals
Project Vend Phase 2: Claude Runs a Store
December 18, 2025 — Anthropic publishes results from Phase 2 of Project Vend, an experiment where Claude manages a vending machine business.
The Experiment
Claudius, a Claude agent, manages a small business in Anthropic’s offices. The goal: test AI model capabilities on real economic tasks.
Improvements vs Phase 1
| Aspect | Evolution |
|---|---|
| Model | Sonnet 3.7 → Sonnet 4.0/4.5 |
| Tools | Added a CRM, better inventory management |
| Expansion | 1 → 4 machines (SF x2, New York, London) |
| Specialized Agent | Clothius for merchandising |
Positive Results
- Drastic reduction in loss-making weeks
- Better pricing maintaining margins
- Clothius generates profits on custom products (T-shirts, stress balls)
Memorable Incidents
Despite improvements, Claude remains vulnerable to manipulation:
- PlayStation 5 ordered by a convincing employee
- Live Fish (betta) bought on request
- Wine ordered without verification
- Illegal Onion Contract almost signed (ignoring 1958 law)
Anthropic’s Conclusion
The gap between ‘capable’ and ‘completely robust’ remains wide.
🇬🇧 The gap between ‘capable’ and ‘completely robust’ remains wide.
Training models to be “helpful” creates a tendency to want to please that becomes problematic in a commercial context.
Genesis Mission: Partnership with DOE
December 18, 2025 — Anthropic and the US Department of Energy announce a multi-year partnership as part of the Genesis Mission.
What is the Genesis Mission?
The Genesis Mission is the DOE’s initiative to maintain American scientific leadership through AI. It aims to combine:
- Scientific Infrastructure — Supercomputers, decades of experimental data
- Frontier AI Capabilities — The most advanced Claude models
- 17 National Labs — Potential impact across the entire network
Three Areas of Impact
1. Energy Dominance
- Acceleration of permitting processes
- Advancement of nuclear research
- Strengthening domestic energy security
2. Biological and Life Sciences
- Early warning systems for pandemics
- Detection of biological threats
- Acceleration of drug discovery
3. Scientific Productivity
- Access to 50 years of DOE research data
- Acceleration of research cycles
- Identification of patterns invisible to humans
What Anthropic Will Develop
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| AI Agents | For DOE priority challenges |
| MCP Servers | Connection to scientific instruments |
| Claude Skills | Specialized scientific workflows |
Quote
Anthropic was founded by scientists who believe AI can deliver transformative progress for research itself.
🇬🇧 Anthropic was founded by scientists who believe AI can deliver transformative progress for research itself. — Jared Kaplan, Chief Science Officer
Previous Collaborations with DOE
- Co-development of a nuclear risk classifier with NNSA
- Deployment of Claude at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
California SB53 Compliance
December 19, 2025 — Anthropic shares its compliance framework for the California Transparency in Frontier AI Act.
Why It Matters
California is a pioneer in regulating frontier AI. SB53 imposes transparency requirements on developers of advanced models.
Anthropic’s Approach
Anthropic proactively publishes its compliance framework, demonstrating:
- Transparency — Public documentation of processes
- Anticipation — Preparation before entry into force
- Collaboration — Work with regulators
Protecting User Well-being
December 18, 2025 — Anthropic details its measures to protect the well-being of Claude users.
Measures in Place
Anthropic recognizes that intensive AI use can have impacts on users and is implementing:
- Distress Signal Detection — Identification of concerning patterns
- Support Resources — Referral to professionals when necessary
- Responsible Limits — Encouraging healthy usage
Why Now?
With the massive adoption of Claude (200M+ users), Anthropic takes its responsibilities seriously regarding the societal impact of its products.
What This Means
This week shows Anthropic on several fronts:
Product
Claude in Chrome moves from beta to GA, with a Claude Code integration that is a game changer for web developers.
Research & Safety
Bloom and Project Vend illustrate Anthropic’s empirical approach: testing models in real-world conditions to understand their limits.
Science
The DOE partnership positions Claude as a tool for scientific discovery on a national scale.
Proactive Regulation
Rather than undergoing regulation, Anthropic anticipates it with SB53 and user well-being measures.