Your AI does not always need to think deeper

Alongside the choice of your model, many AI tools have a second button. In one tool it is called 'think deeper', in another 'effort' or 'reasoning'. And perhaps you have had it on the highest setting for a while, because thinking more simply sounds better. In a webinar about Claude, a question about this came up in the chat. Someone wrote that the combination of model and effort was never actually really clear.

I do understand that confusion. You have two buttons that both seem to have something to do with being smart. And nobody explains what the second one does exactly. So you just set them both to the maximum, just to be sure.

Copy the prompt at the bottom of this article. With it, you let your AI suggest for itself how deeply it should think for a task.

Two buttons that do something different

The model determines how much your AI can do. With Claude, I like to use the metaphor of poems and songs. Haiku is a very small poem, ideal for rewriting an email or translating a piece of text. Sonnet is the workhorse, for analyses and most writing work. And you use Opus for long, complex tasks that it has to finish independently. I wrote about that choice before.

The thinking level is something else. That determines how deeply your AI thinks before it answers. On low, it does not really think. On medium, it checks its own steps. And on high or max, it will read over its own work two or three times before you get something back. Those are extra rounds in its own train of thought.

It is a bit ironic. You set the button to 'think deeper' to save time. And then you are sitting there waiting while your AI reads over its own homework for the third time, for an email to your accountant.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the model and the thinking level of my AI?

The model determines how much your AI can do. The thinking level determines how deeply it thinks before it answers. On a high level, it reads over its own work a few times.

Do I get better answers if I use the highest thinking setting?

For most work, auto or medium is enough, even though the highest setting sounds better. The highest setting uses many more tokens, and then you reach the limit of your subscription faster.

When do I set the thinking level of my AI higher?

For long, independent tasks with a clear briefing, or for strategic questions where options have to be weighed. Then reading it over really adds something.

Where do I learn to set up my AI tool smartly?

In 'Claude AI Power User' and 'AI-superworker' you learn hands-on how to align your model, thinking level and context with your work. You can find all dates at Workshops & Events.

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