Since ELIZA, the more we try to apply the Turing Test, the more evidence we get that the Turing Test about human gullibility, rather than saying anything meaningful about the machine [1,2]. Surprisingly it turns out that even critical thinker Richard Dawkins is quite gullible.
[1] https://medium.com/@innovariart/the-turing-test-no-longer-me...
As we get older we seem to lose some critical thinking. We become more afraid. Celebrities fading from the spotlight often become desperate for attention. My guess is these factors are motivating Dawkins to grasp for any foothold as he slips into obscurity.
A younger and less famous Dawkins may have been more skeptical of Claude.