Don't Worry About the Vase Podcast AI #144: Thanks For the Models
Nov 27, 2025
The podcast dives into the intriguing world of AI, exploring recent advancements like GPT-5.1 and Claude Opus 4.5. Discussions cover the pitfalls of language models, the risks of deepfakes, and a humorous look at AI's role in creative industries. There's also a fascinating debate about AI interactions in education and the implications of using AI in hiring. The show takes a critical stance on regulations, marketplace dynamics, and the effects of misinformation, all while keeping the tone light with clever anecdotes and engaging prompts.
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Episode notes
Fast Model Releases Reshape Risks
- Multiple major models (GPT-5.1, Gemini 3 Pro, Claude Opus 4.5, Grok 4.1) arrived in rapid succession, shifting the landscape quickly.
- Zvi warns improvements bring new failure modes like glazing, reintroducing past issues despite capability gains.
Benchmarks Overrate Everyday Competence
- Language models excel at common, repeated tasks but can fail under distribution shifts or rare cases.
- Specialization to common tasks can inflate benchmark impressions of general intelligence.
Let Models Work While You Sleep
- Use AI iteratively and asynchronously, letting it work while you sleep to avoid late-night tinkering.
- Make crisis helplines and human referral paths trivially accessible in chat interfaces.
