Anthropic, an AI startup founded by former OpenAI executives, has recently introduced its latest breakthrough in the field of AI called Claude 2. This new large language model (LLM) represents a significant leap forward in the development of generative AI models. One of the standout features of Claude 2 is its unprecedented 100,000 token context window. This capability surpasses its predecessor and most competing models, making it a major advancement in the AI field.
To provide some context, OpenAI’s flagship product, GPT-4, has an 8,000 token limit. Although the higher-end GPT-4 model offers a 32,000 token limit, it is currently available to only a select number of customers. Additionally, GPT-3.5-turbo, the model used for the free version of ChatGPT, provides up to 16,000 tokens, but it falls short compared to GPT-4. The token limit determines the maximum size of the model’s context window, which is the volume of text the model can analyze before generating new content. This limit is crucial in assessing the effectiveness of a model.
The context window refers to the entire text that the model considers when generating a response. Each interaction involves sending the entire conversation, including the user’s latest message, to the LLM via the API. Although it may seem like a continuous interaction from the user’s perspective, the LLM predicts the most suitable response based on the conversation up to that point. It’s important to note that the LLM does not retain information about past requests, and each response is generated based on the conversation history received at that moment. This mechanism ensures contextually coherent and relevant responses.
According to TechCrunch’s report, Claude 2’s context window of 100,000 tokens is the largest among commercially available models. This substantial context window offers several advantages. Models with smaller context windows often struggle to recall recent conversations, whereas a larger context window enables the analysis and ingestion of much more text. For example, Claude 2 can analyze approximately 75,000 words, equivalent to the length of some entire novels, and generate a response from around 3,125 tokens. TechCrunch also mentioned that a 200,000 token model is feasible with Claude 2, although Anthropic does not plan to support it initially. As noted by India Times, the AI landscape has become a competitive battlefield, with major tech companies striving to develop their AI chatbots. With its high token limit and improved features, Claude 2 represents a formidable force in this arena.
However, it is crucial to emphasize that AI development should not only focus on technological advancement but also on responsible and ethical growth. Anthropic has taken a cautious approach in unveiling Claude 2, with their head of go-to-market, Sandy Banerjee, stressing the importance of deploying their systems to the market to understand their usage and how they can be improved.
The release of Claude 2 with its 100,000 token limit to the public marks a significant milestone in the progress of generative AI. As the context window of LLMs expands and the processing power of AI chips increases, the boundless possibilities of generative AI become clearer. Emerging prompting methodologies, such as the tree-of-thought process, stand to benefit greatly from this development. This strategic process involves four phases: brainstorming, evaluating, expanding, and deciding. With a larger context window, Claude 2 could enhance each phase, generating a wider range of ideas during brainstorming, providing a more nuanced analysis and comprehensive expansion of potential strategies during evaluation and expansion, and ultimately enabling more informed decision-making based on broader data.
Looking ahead, with Claude 2’s large token limit and the increasing processing power of AI infrastructure, we can anticipate AI models that effectively tackle complex, multifaceted problems and generate sophisticated solutions.
As an example, the AI blog All About AI explores a real-world scenario of negotiating a pay raise. A more advanced AI model could offer diverse strategies, anticipate responses, formulate persuasive arguments, and provide a detailed action plan. The growth and advancement of generative AI, exemplified by the release of Claude 2, open up new possibilities for AI-assisted problem-solving and decision-making processes.
