frontier

Definition

The leading edge of capability — frontier models are the most capable systems available at a given moment. The term does double duty: it describes a performance tier and, in safety and policy discussion, names the category thought to warrant extra scrutiny precisely because its capabilities are not yet mapped. It is inherently relative, so which systems count as frontier changes over time and a paper's usage should be read against its date.

Explainers using this term

• Paper walkthrough: StateM — 95.3% on Terminal-Bench 2.1 and a USD 15 run, without touching a single weightStateM: Reaching 95.3% Raw Accuracy, or a \$15 Frontier Run, on Terminal-Bench 2.1 via Harness Scaling