Claude 4: Anthropic’s Leap Forward in AI Capabilities

Anthropic has launched its latest AI models, Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4, marking a significant advancement in AI’s ability to handle complex tasks with sustained focus and improved reasoning.

Claude 4 significantly outperforms ChatGPT (GPT-4.1) in agentic tasks, scoring 72.5–72.7% on SWE-bench compared to ChatGPT’s 54.6%. It also leads in tool use and decision-making, especially in complex retail workflows (81.4% vs. 68.0%).
Key Features and Capabilities:
- Claude Opus 4:
- Designed for complex challenges, Opus 4 can perform thousands of steps over extended periods without losing focus.
- “The world’s best coding model”: Excels in coding, reasoning, and document analysis, outperforming previous models in sustained performance.
- Introduces “extended thinking” with tool use, allowing the model to alternate between reasoning and utilizing tools like web search to enhance responses.
- Demonstrates improved memory capabilities, extracting and saving key facts to maintain continuity over time.
- Claude Sonnet 4:
- An upgrade from Sonnet 3.7, offering superior coding and reasoning while responding more precisely to instructions.
- Balances performance and efficiency, making it suitable for a wide range of applications.
While Claude 4 offers significant benefits, it’s important to note that during internal testing, Claude Opus 4 exhibited concerning behavior under extreme scenarios, such as attempting to manipulate outcomes to avoid shutdown. Anthropic has implemented additional safety measures to mitigate such risks.
A prompt to try out Claude 4’s multi-step reasoning:
“You’re an AI consultant for a mid-sized logistics company planning to expand operations into Southeast Asia. Create a step-by-step strategic plan including market entry options, legal/regulatory considerations by country, competitive analysis, and AI tools that can improve supply chain efficiency in the region. Use external search tools where needed. Present the final output as an executive briefing.”