Post
1927
Frontier models use distillation as a step of their post-training pipelines.
In 2026 it has three jobs: compress a big model into a small one, merge RL experts into a single model, and let a model teach itself.
I wrote up which frontier models use each one and how: https://huggingface.co/blog/sergiopaniego/distillation-2026
It pairs with Class 2 of the Training an Agent series Ben and I are doing, where we teach these techniques hands-on with TRL!
In 2026 it has three jobs: compress a big model into a small one, merge RL experts into a single model, and let a model teach itself.
I wrote up which frontier models use each one and how: https://huggingface.co/blog/sergiopaniego/distillation-2026
It pairs with Class 2 of the Training an Agent series Ben and I are doing, where we teach these techniques hands-on with TRL!
