These are the most advanced and powerful AI systems currently available or in development, positioned at the edge of current technological knowledge (JUL 2025). They are also referred to as frontier AI, especially in contexts related to safety or regulation.
These models are typically:
- Large-scale (with billions of parameters)
- Trained on massive volumes of data
- Highly generative (e.g., GPT-4, Claude, Gemini)
- Versatile: capable of performing multiple tasks such as summarisation, reasoning, coding, translation, etc.
Why are they important?
Frontier models can have enormous positive social impact, but also pose potential risks if not properly controlled:
Potential benefits:
- Scientific acceleration (e.g., in biomedicine, materials science)
- Intelligent automation (e.g., education, legal support)
- Assistance in humanitarian contexts (e.g., translation, access to information)
Potential risks:
- Large-scale disinformation generation
- Automation of cyberattacks
- Economic impact (technological unemployment)
- Ethical concerns (control, bias, unequal power distribution)
What is the debate around frontier models?
There is an ongoing and intense debate about how to regulate and oversee these systems. Some proposed measures include:
- Mandatory registration for models above certain capabilities
- Risk assessments prior to deployment
- International supervision (similar to nuclear regulatory agencies)
- Limits on military or surveillance-related capabilities