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Ethan Mollick (@emollick.bsky.social): This paper shows why I am skeptical of the idea that frontier models can be easily replaced by cheaper ones (and why you should use the best models as orchestrators): Small improvements in accuracy &

L3 · BuilderOpinion & Analysis@emollick.bsky.social· 10/16/2026

Provides evidence-backed reasoning for model selection strategies relevant to builders designing AI workflows.

AI Summary

Ethan Mollick argues that frontier models provide compounding accuracy benefits in complex tasks, making them worth the cost over cheaper alternatives.

Excerpt

This paper shows why I am skeptical of the idea that frontier models can be easily replaced by cheaper ones (and why you should use the best models as orchestrators): Small improvements in accuracy & judgement compound over long-horizon tasks, creating huge gains in outcomes and reduction in errors.

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