@no_stp_on_snek: Fine Tuning Field Notes Article: short version: it was less about making it smarter and more about giving it a backbone…
Summary
A practitioner shares surprising findings from fine-tuning a small open model to be genuinely better in practical use, not just on benchmarks.
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Cached at: 07/07/26, 07:36 PM
Fine Tuning Field Notes Article:
short version: it was less about making it smarter and more about giving it a backbone.
if you haven’t noticed, i’ve been leaving breadcrumbs in my model fine-tuning field notes over the past few weeks. here’s the fuller writeup.
just a smattering of things that surprised me trying to fine-tune a small open model to be genuinely better than its base. not leaderboard better, better in the ways you notice when you actually rely on it.
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