Why AI has a weird attention span you must learn to manageWhy AI has a weird attention span you must learn to manage

The long phone callThe long phone call

Called to settle one thing. An hour later you remember the start, the end and one standout, and the one thing you called for is still open.Called to settle one thing. An hour later you remember the start, the end and one standout, and the one thing you called for is still open.

AI forgets the middle tooAI forgets the middle too

A long AI chat has the same shape as the call: the very first instructions and the newest messages get used, and what you decided after them, your first message included, can get lost.A long AI chat has the same shape as the call: the very first instructions and the newest messages get used, and what you decided after them, your first message included, can get lost.

The context windowThe context window

The whole chat is handed over with every message, and the space is limited: the context window.The whole chat is handed over with every message, and the space is limited: the context window.

What happens when the context fills upWhat happens when the context fills up

As the chat fills the window, only the very beginning and the newest stay sharp, the rest blurs, your own first message included, one repeated detail survives, and answers get worse: context rot.As the chat fills the window, only the very beginning and the newest stay sharp, the rest blurs, your own first message included, one repeated detail survives, and answers get worse: context rot. 

Attention is a budgetAttention is a budget

A hundred units of attention go mostly to the very first lines and the newest messages; everything between, your own first message included, gets what is left, until it is too thin to trust.A hundred units of attention go mostly to the very first lines and the newest messages; everything between, your own first message included, gets what is left, until it is too thin to trust.

What we learned so farWhat we learned so far

Long AI chats show the same effects as long calls, because the AI's attention span is its context window: a limited resource you manage actively.Long AI chats show the same effects as long calls, because the AI's attention span is its context window: a limited resource you manage actively.

What's really in the context windowWhat's really in the context window

The chat is only the part you see. Before your first word, the context window already holds instructions and notes about you.The chat is only the part you see. Before your first word, the context window already holds instructions and notes about you.

One innocent questionOne innocent question

One line in the chat. Twenty pages in the window.One line in the chat. Twenty pages in the window.

The chat looks the same. The window doesn't.The chat looks the same. The window doesn't.

Left, the full window; right, the same chat after auto-compaction. On screen it is still one ongoing chat.Left, the full window; right, the same chat after auto-compaction. On screen it is still one ongoing chat.

Everyday habitsEveryday habits

Split the project into jobs, keep each chat to one job, and carry only a short handoff into the next one, so the new chat starts small and sharp.Split the project into jobs, keep each chat to one job, and carry only a short handoff into the next one, so the new chat starts small and sharp.

The workflow for bigger projectsThe workflow for bigger projects

Break the project down first, keep one chat as the planner, and give each step a fresh chat that hands back one small result.Break the project down first, keep one chat as the planner, and give each step a fresh chat that hands back one small result.

Human in the loop workflowHuman in the loop workflow

You are the captain: a planner chat prepares each handoff, worker chats do the jobs, and you check every artifact in between.You are the captain: a planner chat prepares each handoff, worker chats do the jobs, and you check every artifact in between.

CongratulationsCongratulations