Noam Brown on the Time Needed to Evaluate AI Models

A short discussion of rapid releases, long-running tasks and testing before launch.

NBNoam BrownInvité · OpenAI
Chaîne
No Priors: AI, Machine Learning, Tech, & Startups
Publié
30 juin 2026
Vidéo
0:41
Lecture
1 min
Original
anglais
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RÉSUMÉ

En 30 secondes

Noam Brown argues that frequent model releases can make it hard to explore capability limits, especially for long-running tasks, and discusses the tension between evaluation time and competitive pressure.

  1. 1Fast release cyclesFrequent model releases can outpace extended testing.
  2. 2Long-running tasksSome capabilities become clearer only after lengthy use.
  3. 3A difficult tradeoffMore pre-release evaluation takes time amid competitive pressure.

À retenir

  1. New models can arrive before extended testing is complete.
  2. Long tasks may reveal capabilities only over time.
  3. Pre-release testing competes with release schedules.
TEXTE INTÉGRAL

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Transcription seule
01

The evaluation gap

OpenAI researcher Noam Brown says that when new models arrive every few months, users may still be testing the previous model when the next one appears.

OpenAI researcher Noam Brown says that when new models arrive every few months, users may still be testing the previous model when the next one appears.

He argues that this makes it difficult to know the full extent of a model’s capabilities, especially on tasks that take a long time to run.

Brown cites users running tasks for more than a week after the release of a feature called /goal as an example of capabilities becoming clearer only with time.

02

Time and competition

Asked how labs can evaluate models before release, he says more time would help but would also delay releases, creating tension with competitive pressure. This is his assessment, not proof that evaluation is impossible.

Asked how labs can evaluate models before release, he says more time would help but would also delay releases, creating tension with competitive pressure. This is his assessment, not proof that evaluation is impossible.

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