What is Claude?
Claude is an AI assistant made by Anthropic that you can chat with through your web browser. It is designed to be helpful, harmless, and honest. Claude is particularly good at long, detailed conversations and handling complex tasks with care and nuance.
Best Use Cases
Analysing Long Documents
Claude can read and make sense of lengthy documents, contracts, or articles. You can paste in large amounts of text and ask it to explain, summarise, or find specific details.
Try this prompt: Paste in a terms-and-conditions document and ask "Can you highlight the key things I should know before I agree to this, in plain English?"
Thoughtful Writing
Claude excels at producing well-structured, considerate writing. It is great for tasks where tone and accuracy matter, such as formal letters or sensitive communications.
Try this prompt: "Help me write a compassionate message to a colleague who is leaving the company after 10 years."
Research and Analysis
Claude is strong at breaking down complex topics and presenting balanced viewpoints. It tries to be fair and will let you know when something is uncertain.
Try this prompt: "What are the pros and cons of working from home versus working in an office? Give me a balanced view."
Getting Started
- Go to claude.ai in your web browser.
- Click "Sign up" and create a free account using your email address or Google account.
- Type your first message in the chat box and press Enter. Try: "I have never used AI before. Can you explain what you can help me with?"
Tips for Beginners
- Claude can handle extremely long pieces of text — up to around 700,000 words in a single conversation. If you need to analyse a document, you can paste the whole thing into the chat and ask questions about it.
- Be open about what you need. Claude responds well to context, so saying "I am writing this for my manager" or "This is for a school project" helps it tailor its response.
- If you want a different style, just ask. You can say "Make it more casual" or "Write it as bullet points instead."
- Claude will tell you when it is not sure about something, which is helpful for knowing when to double-check information.
