Claude is an AI assistant built by Anthropic. It is designed to be helpful, harmless, and honest.
Key Capabilities
Claude can help with a wide range of tasks:
- Writing & editing — drafting emails, blog posts, documentation
- Coding — writing, reviewing, and debugging code in 20+ languages
- Analysis — processing data, summarizing documents, extracting insights
- Research — answering questions, finding information, brainstorming
Models Available
| Model | Best For | Context Window |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 4 | Complex reasoning, coding | 200K tokens |
| Claude Sonnet 4 | Balanced performance | 200K tokens |
| Claude Haiku 3.5 | Speed & cost efficiency | 200K tokens |
How Claude is Different
Unlike other AI assistants, Claude is trained using a technique called Constitutional AI (CAI). This means Claude follows a set of principles rather than relying solely on human feedback.
Claude aims to be helpful while being careful about potential harms. It will decline requests that could cause damage.
Next Steps
In the next lesson, we will set up your Anthropic account and get your API key.