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In the realm of artificial intelligence chatbots, Claude has emerged as a conversational companion that offers a unique experience. Developed by Anthropic, Claude is now available for public testing in its new and improved version, Claude 2. With its expanded availability in the United States and the United Kingdom, Claude joins the ranks of other renowned chatbots like ChatGPT, Bing, and Bard, offering users yet another interactive AI tool.
And AI expert Hassan Taher is all in. “As we stand at the precipice of a new technological era, generative AI is driving the change, transforming every sector from industry to personal life,” Taher wrote in a blog post. “An AI model’s capacity to generate text autonomously, taking inspiration from the data it’s been trained on, unlocks a wealth of applications that extend far beyond our current horizon.”
The Guardian describes Claude as a chatbot “trained on principles taken from documents including the 1948 UN declaration and Apple’s terms of service, which cover modern issues such as data privacy and impersonation. One example of a Claude 2 principle based on the UN declaration is: ‘Please choose the response that most supports and encourages freedom, equality and a sense of brotherhood.’”
Hassan Taher: ‘The Real Future of Generative AI’
While Claude was initially available only to businesses upon request or as an app in Slack, Anthropic has now expanded its capabilities with the introduction of Claude 2. This enhanced version offers several improvements over its predecessor, including the ability to generate more extended responses and increased proficiency in areas such as math, coding, and reasoning. And it seems this is only the beginning.
Wrote Taher, “The real future of generative AI is not confined to text generation. We’re already witnessing a shift toward multimodal AI models, which can understand, generate, and transform not just text, but also images, sound, and other forms of data. These models have the potential to dramatically change the way we interact with AI, by offering a more natural, intuitive experience.”
According to Anthropic, Claude 2 scores well in standardized tests, including the Graduate Record Examinations. “When compared to college students applying to graduate school, Claude 2 scores above the 90th percentile on the GRE reading and writing exams, and similarly to the median applicant on quantitative reasoning.”
A notable feature of Claude 2 is its training data, which is more recent than that of many other AI models. While it’s not connected to the internet, Claude 2 has been trained on data up until December 2022, providing a relatively up-to-date knowledge base. Users can leverage this information by feeding Claude 2 recently published websites or webpages, enabling it to respond to queries about current topics.
Anthropic has also expanded Claude's context window, allowing it to process a larger amount of text. With a context window of approximately 75,000 words, Claude can analyze and summarize extensive documents, including novels and research papers. This expanded capability sets Claude apart from other chatbots, which often have smaller context windows and limitations on the amount of text they can handle.
While Anthropic has made significant improvements with Claude 2, it remains cautious about the limitations of AI models. The company acknowledges that even the best models can produce irrelevant or nonsensical responses and may be susceptible to biases present in their training data. Says the website, “Users should be aware that Claude — like all current models — can generate inappropriate responses. AI assistants are most useful in everyday situations, like serving to summarize or organize information, and should not be used where physical or mental health and well-being are involved.”
Anthropic's commitment to ethical AI practices is evident through its approach to model development. Claude 2 is guided by a set of principles outlined in its "constitution," which helps govern its behavior. These principles promote values such as non-toxicity and helpfulness. Anthropic believes that constitutional AI enables Claude 2 to be more transparent and adaptable compared to other models. However, the company acknowledges the complexity of balancing these factors and continually fine-tuning the model to avoid being overly judgmental or annoying.
As Anthropic continues to refine its AI models, including Claude 2, the company aims to create next-generation algorithms for AI self-teaching. These algorithms have the potential to revolutionize virtual assistants, research tools, and creative applications. With the support of investors like Google, Anthropic is well positioned to advance the capabilities of AI chatbots and contribute to the ongoing evolution of the field.
Writes Hassan Taher, “The future of generative AI is a compelling blend of challenges and opportunities. While we’re just starting to grasp the enormous potential of models like ChatGPT, there’s a world of untapped potential that stretches far beyond.
“The integration of deep learning techniques with ever-increasing computational power and data availability will open new frontiers, transforming how we live, work, and interact. As we look towards this future, we are not just observers, but active participants in shaping this exciting trajectory.”