Definition
Reasoning models are LLMs trained specifically to think through problems methodically, showing their work and breaking down complex tasks into logical steps.
Key Characteristics: - Extended "thinking" before responding - Chain of thought reasoning - Self-correction capabilities - Better at math and logic - May take longer to respond
Examples: - OpenAI o1 (and o1-pro) - Claude with extended thinking - Google Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking
How They Work: 1. Receive a complex problem 2. Generate internal reasoning chain 3. Explore multiple approaches 4. Self-check for errors 5. Output final answer
Best For: - Math problems - Coding challenges - Scientific reasoning - Multi-step logic puzzles
Examples
OpenAI o1 solving a complex physics problem by breaking it into sub-problems and checking each step.
Related Terms
AI models trained on massive text datasets that can understand and generate human-like text.
The practice of designing effective prompts to get better outputs from AI models.
Prompting technique that asks AI to show step-by-step reasoning.
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