Anthropic’s AI now lets you create bots to work for you
Anthropic introduces AI tool to create personalized bots, integrating with external APIs.
Anthropic is expanding the capabilities of its AI chatbot, Claude, introducing a novel feature known as 'tool use' or 'function calling', aimed at enabling users to tailor bots for specific tasks by linking up to any external API. Users with coding skills can create various types of bots, such as email assistants or online shopping bots, making everyday tasks more automated and personalized. Anthropic demonstrated this capability by mentioning several use cases, such as a virtual interior design consultant that analyses room images for decor suggestions, and a service named Study Fetch which developed a bespoke AI tutor named Spark.
During its beta testing phase since April, the Claude tool gained traction with a few thousand customers, hinting at the diverse applications of the tool in streamlining customer service and internal operations for businesses. The integration capabilities with major platforms like Amazon Bedroom and Google Vertex AI also ensure wide accessibility and potential adaptation within various technology ecosystems. Pricing is another pivotal aspect, with charges based on the amount of text or 'tokens' processed, making it financially viable for both small-scale experiments and large volume usage.
Going forward, this development by Anthropic not only fosters the evolution of AI in personal and business workflows but also competes with similar advances by tech giants like Google and OpenAI, who are also intensely working on AI-driven aids. The comparison to existing technologies and Anthropic's flexible pricing model, especially the affordable option 'Haiku', positions it uniquely in the competitive AI market. As more startups and enterprises explore these tools, AI agents are likely to play a more crucial role in a wide range of tasks, further integrating AI into daily business and personal activities.