Have you ever noticed the different ways we make decisions? Sometimes we rely on quick instincts, while other times, we carefully consider all the factors. These modes of thinking are known as “System 1” and “System 2” thinking. In artificial intelligence, language models like AI Chat models have excelled in System 1 thinking but struggled with System 2 thinking. However, a revolutionary technique called “Tree of Thought” (ToT) aims to change that.

Imagine you’re in a business meeting and faced with whether to launch a new product. That requires careful options analysis, market assessment, risk evaluation, and informed decision-making. That is System 2 thinking. ToT integrates System 2 thinking into AI, creating a thoughtful business assistant.

Currently, AI Chat models are like quick-responding dedicated employees. But sometimes, deeper thinking is necessary. That’s where “Chain-of-Thought” (CoT) comes into play. CoT prompts the AI to take more time to respond, improving the quality of the response to some extent. However, it’s not enough.

ToT takes it further by encouraging conversational models to consider multiple reasoning paths. It evaluates markets, potential designs, advantages, and disadvantages and suggests the best action. This approach makes AI’s problem-solving more human-like, assessing every step of the way.

ToT builds upon the CoT concept and adds human-like decision-making. It prompts the AI to generate intermediate steps or “thoughts” and encourages self-evaluation of each choice. Tests have shown that ToT outperforms other techniques in tasks requiring strategic thinking, such as mathematical games and creative writing.

Think of it this way: if you assign your business team and AI assistant the task of solving a complex financial problem using ToT, the AI assistant could come up with solutions as good as, if not better, your team’s.

Does this mean we’re close to having AI assistants that can think and solve problems like humans? It’s a possibility. ToT represents a significant step in that direction, with promising results. That could mark the era of AI that communicates like us and thinks and solves problems like us.

So, the next time you face a business dilemma, consider asking your AI assistant to help you think it through. You might be surprised by the perfect solution it comes up with.