Context Window

A Context Window is the token capacity a model can reference in one interaction. Recent models can accommodate hundreds of thousands of tokens, sometimes more than the length of a book. Larger windows enable analysis of extensive documents or conversation histories, but research has identified a “lost in the middle” effect in which information positioned centrally receives less effective attention. Important instructions and evidence are therefore often placed near the beginning or end of the prompt.

Business applications and impact#

Enables analysis of larger document collections and longer conversation histories in one request.

Implementation guidance and considerations#

As context grows, account for the lost-in-the-middle effect by placing critical information near the beginning or end.