Can AI Beat Pokémon? The Claude Challenge

The AI world is buzzing with talk of artificial general intelligence (AGI). This is the idea of machines that can think and act like humans. Some big names in tech are predicting that this could happen soon. For example, Elon Musk thinks we might see AI smarter than any human by 2025. Others, like Anthropic's CEO, think it might take a bit longer, but they all agree it's coming. Meanwhile, a team at Anthropic has been working on a different challenge. They've been trying to teach their AI, Claude, to play Pokémon. Why Pokémon? Well, it's a complex game that requires planning, memory, and problem-solving skills. All things that humans have, but AI struggles with. Anthropic recently showed off Claude 3. 7 Sonnet, their latest model. This version can do things that older models couldn't. It can plan ahead, remember its goals, and change its strategy when things don't go as planned. Sounds impressive, right? Well, not quite. While Claude 3. 7 Sonnet can do more than its predecessors, it's still far from beating the game. Since the experiment went public, thousands of people have watched Claude play on Twitch. They've seen it struggle with simple tasks. It often gets stuck in loops, revisiting the same places or talking to the same characters over and over. It's clear that Claude still has a long way to go. So, what does this all mean? Well, it shows that while AI has made big strides, it's still not ready to take over the world. It also shows that games like Pokémon can be a great way to test AI's abilities. They require a mix of skills that are hard for machines to master. So, while Claude might not be ready to beat Pokémon just yet, it's a step in the right direction. And who knows? Maybe one day, AI will be able to do just that.