In this paper, we introduce the Tree-of-Thought (ToT) framework, a novel
approach aimed at improving the problem-solving capabilities of auto-regressive
large language models (LLMs). The ToT technique is inspired by the human mind's
approach for solving complex reasoning tasks through trial and error. In this
process, the human mind explores the solution space through a tree-like thought
process, allowing for backtracking when necessary. To implement ToT as a
software system, we augment an LLM with additional modules including a prompter
agent, a checker module, a memory module, and a ToT controller. In order to
solve a given problem, these modules engage in a multi-round conversation with
the LLM. The memory module records the conversation and state history of the
problem solving process, which allows the system to backtrack to the previous
steps of the thought-process and explore other directions from there. To verify
the effectiveness of the proposed technique, we implemented a ToT-based solver
for the Sudoku Puzzle. Experimental results show that the ToT framework can
significantly increase the success rate of Sudoku puzzle solving. Our
implementation of the ToT-based Sudoku solver is available on GitHub:
https://github.com/jieyilong/tree-of-thought-puzzle-solver.

本文提出了 Tree-of-Thought (ToT) 框架，它通过试错的思路来改进自回归大语言模型的问题解决能力。通过增加提示、检查、记忆和控制等模块来实现 ToT 系统。为了验证该技术的有效性，我们基于 ToT 设计了解决数独难题的求解器，实验结果表明，ToT 框架能够显著提高数独难题的成功率。