But the anthropic principle doesn't imply an intention either, though. Much the opposite: it's all just dumb luck, but for us to be here right now observing it, some of that luck had to go a certain way (eg some physical constants had to get the values they have or matter wouldn't exist etc).

In some ways this really isn't even in question, an example being the apparent "fine-tuning" of physical constants so that there's stable matter than can form more complex compounds, and that stars can exist, etc. That "fine-tuning" itself is pretty clear, ie we can calculate that if this or that constant was 0.000004% off then everything would go to shit.

But it's only apparent tuning: it just boils down to the fact that those constants have to be the way they are, or we wouldn't be able to be here as observers: if even one thing was slightly different then eg hydrogen would be the most complex chemical in the universe or something like that. Ain't no observers emerging out of nearly perfectly homogenous hydrogen soup. Or a universe that collapsed into a singularity and disappeared into whatever the hell is on the other "end" of black holes a Planck time after the big bang, because instead of bonds being too hard to form they were too easy.

Now the AP just then takes that idea and runs off with it, with the strong principle ending up with the conclusion (and this is much simplified) that we're the only ones out here due to the amount of "fine tuning" required, and the weak being less, well, chauvinistic 😁

Some people think that the "fine-tuning" of physical constants means the universe was made for us, when the truth is closer to the opposite of that, with us sort of being made for the universe. Again without intention or a Maker, but simply meaning that with these "universe settings / seed", something similar to our current universe is what you get

edit: this Douglas Adams quote on rationalwiki is a great distillation of the AP but in a humorous way:

Imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, 'This is an interesting world I find myself in, an interesting hole I find myself in, fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!' This is such a powerful idea that as the sun rises in the sky and the air heats up and as, gradually, the puddle gets smaller and smaller, it's still frantically hanging on to the notion that everything's going to be alright, because this world was meant to have him in it, was built to have him in it; so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise. I think this may be something we need to be on the watch out for.