While many large language models (LLMs) boast multimodal capabilities, allowing them to process text and images, none had the ability to read both simultaneously within the same context.
Here is the official announcement from Anthropic.
Traditionally, if you wanted to process a combination of text and images—as is common in many PDF files—you had to input them separately. This separation often led to a loss of context and a less efficient experience.
But Anthropic has recently announced an incredible update in this area:
Claude's enhanced PDF reading capabilities that seamlessly integrate text and images, processing them interactively as they appear in a PDF file.
This means Claude can maintain the context of images alongside the text, providing a more coherent and accurate understanding of the content.
Sounds ordinary?
It is not. When you consider the possible use cases, the potential is astounding.
Let me share a recent example from a client in Germany's energy industry. They require their customers to read gas meters according to specific instructions. Customers who have done it before find it easy the second time. However, for first-time users, it can be cumbersome to read through an entire manual or watch a lengthy video just to submit their meter readings to the provider.
But with this new feature from Claude, this challenge has become a thing of the past.
There are many tools that can help you understand images in PDF, including tables, etc. with powerful tools such as unstructured. But supporting this capability in ChagGPT and Cluade for everyday use cases (but also via API) takes it to a whole new level.
Now, all the customer needs to do is upload the PDF with the instructions and a picture of their gas meter. Claude does the rest, accurately interpreting the meter reading and even explaining how to read it for future reference. This not only simplifies the process but also empowers users to learn and become more proficient over time.
So, I conducted a test, and Claude did not disappoint...
The Gas Meter Experiment: A Real-World Demonstration
To illustrate Claude’s new capabilities, let’s dive into the experiment I conducted with the client.
Initial Attempt with Low-Resolution Images
The first trial involved a sample gas meter image and a PDF instruction manual:
Prompt:
“What is the gas meter reading according to the instructions?”
[Read more in my Blog Post]
airabbit.blog
Top comments (0)