Lesson 1357 of 2116
Base vs. Instruct Models: When to Use Which
Why base models still matter and when instruct-tuned models are wrong.
Lesson map
What this lesson covers
Learning path
The main moves in order
- 1The premise
- 2base model
- 3instruct model
- 4RLHF
Concept cluster
Terms to connect while reading
Section 1
The premise
Instruct models are the default for chat, but base models win for completion-style tasks and custom tuning.
What AI does well here
- Use base models for completion-style, deterministic tasks.
- Use instruct for assistants, dialogue, and tool use.
- Fine-tune base when you need a domain-specific model.
What AI cannot do
- Use base models conversationally without scaffolding.
- Easily make instruct models stop being chatty.
Key terms in this lesson
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