What is Claude and the Anthropic API?

Introduction to Claude Models

Nikhil Rangarajan

Data Scientist

Discovering Claude

Illustration of a person sitting with a laptop and pointing at a cloud icon with a sync symbol, representing cloud-based interaction or data flow.

Introduction to Claude Models

Discovering Claude

Illustration of a smiling person using a laptop, giving a thumbs up to a blue robot labeled “Claude,” with a cloud sync icon above them, representing collaboration or interaction with Claude.

Introduction to Claude Models

Claude in the LLM landscape

  • Claude = AI assistant by Anthropic
    • Safety
    • Accuracy
    • Long-context tasks
  • Competitive landscape:
    • GPT, Gemini, LLaMA
    • Each model has different strengths
  • What makes it unique:
    • Use of constitutional AI
    • Long context, up to 200k input tokens

Logo of Claude

Introduction to Claude Models

Where Claude excels

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  • Haiku: Fastest model for simple tasks

Simple yellow lightning bolt icon representing energy or computational power.

Introduction to Claude Models

Where Claude excels

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  • Haiku: Fastest model for simple tasks

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  • Sonnet: Speed and reasoning power

Illustration of a scale balancing a lightning bolt on the left and a lightbulb on the right, symbolizing the tradeoff between raw power and thoughtful output.

Introduction to Claude Models

Where Claude excels

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  • Haiku: Fastest model for simple tasks

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  • Sonnet: Speed and reasoning power

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  • Opus: Capability for complex work

Illustration of a balanced scale with a lightning bolt on the left and a glowing lightbulb on the right, representing energy and insight. A large illuminated lightbulb sits below the scale.

Introduction to Claude Models

The Anthropic API

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  • API (Application Programming Interface): A set of rules allowing software applications to communicate with each other

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  • Anthropic API: The bridge between your code and Claude

Diagram showing a laptop and tablet on the left sending a request to an API, which returns a response from a database on the right. Arrows indicate the flow of request and response.

Introduction to Claude Models

The Anthropic API

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  • Key features:

    • Chat interface (multi-turn conversations)

    • System prompts (steer Claude's behavior)

    • Extended thinking mode (deeper reasoning on complex tasks)

Diagram showing a laptop and tablet on the left sending a request to an API, which returns a response from a database on the right. Arrows indicate the flow of request and response.

Introduction to Claude Models

Let's try it out!

  • Prompt Structure Basics:

    • Use natural language - Claude is conversational

    • Keep it clear and specific

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What would you ask Claude to do?

Chat interface showing a user prompt that reads “What are the benefits of using Claude over GPT?” with a message input field and "Send" button below.

Introduction to Claude Models

Let's practice!

Introduction to Claude Models

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