Whether you’re a startup founder, investor, or marketing leader, chances are AI is on your radar. The tricky part? AI development is making huge gains across nearly all fronts. If you’re trying to determine how to choose AI model effectively and if so, the following might resonate.

There are many fantastic AI models on the market, but figuring out which one suits your specific requirements can feel challenging. Let’s take a look at strategies for how to choose AI model well, navigate this landscape, and leverage the right tools for the right tasks. This article helps you discover the right path so that you’re on track to success.

Table of Contents:

Decoding the AI Model Mess

Figuring out which AI model you should use shouldn’t be difficult. However, keeping track of the developments can quickly get confusing. It’s gotten bad, because even benchmark tests can’t always tell the models apart. The good news is that having too many models gives you many different tools to choose from.

Naming Conventions: Separating the Wheat from the Chaff

Model naming is so bad, that Dario Amodei even joked that we will achieve Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) before models get proper naming protocols. Some organizations give nonsensical names, making distinctions unnecessarily difficult. Consider that most base models get a ton of updates, but are only sometimes substantial enough to warrant version distinctions. The bespoke naming protocols would definitely simplify things.

Understanding the Model Landscape

It helps to understand the basic types of AI models. Let’s go through the core types that are used the most today. Understanding this is crucial when you choose AI model:

  • Base Models: These are massive, very powerful models. Base models are very expensive to run.
  • Distillation Models: These models are created through a process of distillation. A smaller model gets trained on the output of a larger “base” model, matching the same performance.
  • Reasoning Models: The models follow multistep reasoning chains to plan, execute, and verify. All these models are effective, but can be costly too.

Don’t overlook how specialized models can further improve results. There are models **designed to enhance** super-cheap tasks, image-based processes, and ones for search functionality. If your business can benefit from AI but has specific requirements, it might be worth digging deeper and researching additional niche options that fit your specific parameters. If you truly need a ai model that is specific, this may be important for you. It may also be a daunting process to find a specific one.

The Benchmark Problem

It’s hard to declare one clear “winner” when choosing an AI model. Each measures various abilities. According to Andrej Karpathy, we’re facing an “evaluation crisis” in evaluating benchmarks. This is due to different complexities when scoring the AI models.

Different Evaluation Methods

Currently, there are many different ways to score models:

  • Narrow Benchmarks: Metrics that measure hallucination rates and Python skills. You can’t really measure their full potential with one metric because the models are smart.
  • Comprehensive Benchmarks: They try capturing different dimensions and metrics and can quickly become overwhelming. Many benchmarks occur at once, with some models doing better than others in each case, meaning it is impossible to make sense of it all.
  • Arena: Humans blindly compare responses from different models based on subjective preferences. The models are given an ELO rating similar to those of chess players. As the models got closer, this method began losing usefulness.

With an ELO system, there is still a great chance of winning even for models with lower scores. Some tasks will work better depending on what model is used, so pick what’s on top and 1 of 10 questions might be better, however it is uncertain. The right benchmark needs to be applied, for you to be able to choose AI model that will serve you.

Actionable Ways to Help Choose AI Model Today

What’s the vibe check like for your ideal ai model? The following includes useful personal insights to get better at choosing models in an effective way. It really comes down to user experience more than what anyone would like to admit.

Trust Your Gut

Karpathy suggests going with a vibe check since better opportunities aren’t necessarily apparent. You need to test models on your own and go with what “feels right.” Don’t worry, it’s easy to fall for something that is ultimately worse, so don’t feel bad. Your gut will come into play when testing each of them and noticing which require the least editing. Also don’t overthink things like benchmark figures. Rather, lean more into a UX or UI you’d actually be happy paying for.

Specific Advice For Choosing AI Model for Product Creators

Forget numbers if you are one. Instead you can implement some strategies to help in that regard, which may or may not have those benchmark numbers included. If that includes chasing benchmark numbers though, feel free to do it and don’t let the market keep you from excelling forward.

HuggingFace shares useful insights, noting the need to define model categories that suit the problem. Define model pretraining needs and take advantage of capabilities like computing infrastructure. By thinking through it properly, it might be far less stress involved than otherwise. It’s important to test all your options towards success. 

Latest Developments in AI

 Some amazing advancements are constantly emerging, whether multimodal capabilities or the fact AI now has reasoning. A new chip cluster is bound to also make a range of new mass AI models more probable. Also there are even open-source and local setups now possible in contrast to before. Here’s why it is so critical to adapt and choose AI model effectively. These advancements underpins a brighter future. 

Amazon is Contributing To More Access

Amazon is providing startups with free credits to make the tools available and help them succeed in adopting AI. This enables easier scaling and the discovery of solutions across a wide landscape. With easier access to Amazon AI capabilities, businesses might not need as specialized and nuanced skill. Amazon is making AI bespoke and accessible. 

Executive Orders Impact

Recent news shared by Forbes highlights an executive order put in place to regulate AI models that could threaten national security. It also directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to create standards around AI red-teaming.

What if Everyone is Wrong?

Is there also such a thing as trusting in algorithms or brands far too much when those brands have proven their algorithm is flawed at scale, meaning people will choose to do whatever is shilled at scale regardless of it hurting themselves or society?

Perhaps yes and also perhaps some regulations such as Trump’s Executive Order can correct this. It may even lead the average person to discover what an actually properly built moral AI that thinks independently for each end user’s needs in an optimized capacity that might only lead people into directions that would best improve humanity (while respecting a user’s privacy).

This would be opposed to what’s promoted in this current paradigm. If that happens, more change for humanity than what is possible now can occur, where instead algorithms take everyone into a direction designed specifically to only satisfy certain individuals or bottom lines. But either way one can better choose AI model. It’s important to look at these situations with utmost care. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How do I keep up with the advancements in AI?

A: To stay current, read industry news, research publications, and attend AI conferences. Also consider setting up Google Alerts for AI advancements, which is key to keep informed about the AI market. It is also important to read the bespoke information the models provide.

Q: What is the best approach when selecting an AI model?

A: When selecting an AI model, consider your needs, UX, and vibe checks. Also, look at performance benchmarks. Be sure to also keep up with new trends.

Q: What is the biggest risk when using AI models?

A: Some risks when using AI models can include trusting them too much. It is important to use AI models to find new insights that were not apparent. This **endeavor** can give you **unique** business options.

Q: How do executive orders effect AI?

A: Executive orders help to regulate AI models. This could help to ensure national security.

Conclusion

In the end, AI’s complexity makes model names bad and makes them hard to measure using scores. Because of this, you need to think outside the box when choosing an AI model. 

Take it with a grain of salt, keep up with where new trends in the tech industry lead to in future’s path and consider vibe checks, too, so can excel ahead and continue success at present and moving forward, which will all ultimately pay off as your startup makes those much gains by optimizing that tech’s utility on almost fronts. Choosing the right AI model can provide a unique advantage in today’s market. 

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Author

Lomit is a marketing and growth leader with experience scaling hyper-growth startups like Tynker, Roku, TrustedID, Texture, and IMVU. He is also a renowned public speaker, advisor, Forbes and HackerNoon contributor, and author of "Lean AI," part of the bestselling "The Lean Startup" series by Eric Ries.

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