Re:Models Are Getting Dumber on Purpose
by contingencies on Sunday August 16, 2026 @06:33PM
(#49324445)
Unless you are building a factory assembly line where a model is literally doing the same thing over and over, you almost always want a general purpose model over a specialized one.
Turns out the world is made of simple, specialist processes, not generalists trying to achieve them. Adaptability may be of great benefit in evolutionary terms or for a walking anthropoid, but the majority of biology, chemistry, and mathematics rely upon specialist process for good reason. See also the old trope about robotics: that's what you call it before it works, otherwise it'd be a dishwasher.
The upshot is: use a generalist to create a simple solution once, and scale that. Don't deploy the generalist at scale, that's a waste of resources and an inefficient solution.
Turns out the world is made of simple, specialist processes, not generalists trying to achieve them. Adaptability may be of great benefit in evolutionary terms or for a walking anthropoid, but the majority of biology, chemistry, and mathematics rely upon specialist process for good reason. See also the old trope about robotics: that's what you call it before it works, otherwise it'd be a dishwasher.
The upshot is: use a generalist to create a simple solution once, and scale that. Don't deploy the generalist at scale, that's a waste of resources and an inefficient solution.