Stepping back from the week to week model drops, there is a shift in what the serious AI releases are even trying to sell, and it is worth understanding if you follow this space casually rather than building on it. The first wave of the generative boom competed on capability and fluency. Whose model sounds smarter, writes better, scores higher on the trivia style tests. The newer wave, especially the deep research systems aimed at real knowledge work, is competing on something less flashy and ...