Data/ML/AIEmergingAround since 2023
Small Language Model
Also written as SLM
A more compact AI language model, cheaper and faster to run — often even on a phone or laptop — than a full-scale LLM, at some cost to general capability.
Think of it like
Like a compact car that's cheaper to run and easy to park versus a big truck that can haul more but costs more gas and needs more space.
Junior or senior?
Junior sounds like
Defaults to the biggest model available.
Senior sounds like
Can explain why a smaller model was the right call for cost, latency, or on-device needs.
Ask them
“What made a small model the right choice over a larger, more capable one for that use case?”