pilot

Definition

A small, preliminary run carried out before committing to a full-scale study or deployment. A pilot is not meant to prove an effect — the sample is too small — but to surface broken instructions, unusable interfaces, and logistical failures while they are still cheap to fix. Do not confuse it with the aviation sense that shows up in autonomous-driving papers; here it is a study design term.

Explainers using this term

• Paper Walkthrough: PILOT in the Loop — Fixing the Run While It Is Still RunningPILOT in the Loop: Live Self-Improvement for Long-Horizon Agents