Posts Tagged → Claude

Claude Adds Web Search

Because I cover Artificial Intelligence so much in the MacSparky Labs, I currently have paid accounts for all three of the big services: Google’s Gemini, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and Anthropic’s Claude. Of the three, I’ve always had a soft spot for Claude. I like the way it thinks; its tone, reasoning, and writing style just seem to resonate with me.

That said, for a long time, Claude had a pretty significant Achilles heel: no web access. You’d ask it something timely or specific, and it would give you a polite shrug.

That changed last week when Anthropic added web search to Claude as a beta feature. I’ve had it turned on since the announcement using Claude 3.7 Sonnet, and it’s made a significant difference.

Just yesterday, I was researching local contractors to help with some fire-hardening improvements on my home. I asked Claude to assist, and it actually delivered solid, relevant results from the web. This is the kind of query that would have stumped Claude a month ago.

The feature feels early — definitely “beta” — but it’s also entirely usable. It’s fast, the results are helpful, and most importantly, Claude now feels like it’s playing in the same league as its competitors when it comes to real-world usefulness.

One thing to note: web search isn’t turned on by default. You’ll need to dive into Claude’s settings to enable it. But if you’re a Claude user, it’s absolutely worth flipping that switch.

The Gen3 AI Revolution

I’ve been spending a lot of time with Claude 3.7 Sonnet lately, and I wanted to share some thoughts on the new “Gen3” AI models. Claude 3.7 is trained with a massive leap in computing power compared to its predecessors.

What’s Different About These New Models?

These new AI models aren’t just incrementally better; they represent a significant jump in capabilities.

There are two reasons for this:

  1. Training Scale: These models use 10x more computing power in training than GPT-4 did.
  2. Reasoning Capabilities: These models can spend more time “thinking” through complex problems, similar to giving a smart person extra time to solve a puzzle.

My Experience with Claude 3.7 Sonnet

I’ve been using Claude 3.7 regularly. Most folks use programming tests to baseline the AI models. I don’t. Instead, I’ve found it to be an exceptional thought partner. One of my favorite workflows is to give Claude something I’ve written and ask it to pose thoughtful questions about the content. Those questions often spark new ideas or help me identify gaps in my thinking.

For those of you who work alone without colleagues to bounce ideas off of, these more capable AI models can provide surprisingly useful feedback. It’s like having a smart colleague who’s always available to help you think through problems. As AI becomes capable of higher-order thinking tasks, there is a lot of room for us to be creative in how we put them to work.

The Human in the Room

You still need to be the human in the room. As smart as these models are getting, you’re making a mistake if you believe they’re actually thinking. They remain tools — increasingly powerful tools — but tools nonetheless. Your judgment, creativity, and ethical sensibilities remain irreplaceable. The most powerful approach is using these AI partners to amplify your thinking, not replace it.

If you’re curious about these Gen3 models, my recommendation is simple: experiment. Ask Claude to help you brainstorm solutions to a problem you’re facing. Have it review something you’ve written and suggest improvements. Use it as a sounding board when you’re trying to think through a complex issue.

You might be surprised at how helpful these conversations can be, even if you’re not using the flashy coding capabilities that get most of the attention.

I’m cautiously optimistic about where this is heading. These tools are becoming genuine intellectual partners that can help us think better, create more, and solve harder problems. Used wisely, they have the potential to dramatically enhance what we can accomplish.