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Fable 5 – Median thinking declined in August

428 points · 293 comments · espeed

  1. talon8635 · · focus · HN ↗
    Could there be a benefit to releasing a new model, slowly dumbing it down over a couple months, then releasing a new model that’s marginally if at all better than the original to create a perceived improvement when in reality there isn’t really one?

    For an industry that’s stagnant in progress yet relies on new frequent releases to survive (non-progress being an existential risk), this could make sense.

    I have no idea if that’s what’s happened, I completely pulled it out of my butt. And I have no idea is the actual frontier is stagnating.

    1. Aurornis · · focus · HN ↗
      > to create a perceived improvement when in reality there isn’t really one?

      This wouldn't explain progress on benchmarks (including closed sets), or the fact that newer models are providing solutions to major math problems that older models cannot.

      1. talon8635 · · focus · HN ↗
        This is a good point I hadn’t considered, thank you.

        Is there any training variable here? For example, can a model released in October perform better on the same benchmarks vs its predecessor released in July just by virtue of training on newer data that was made available on those 3 months?

        Sorry if it’s a dumb question, I don’t really know much about the topic.

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