4Simon Willison's Weblog·
Simon Willison publishes opinionated guide to AI model selection
Simon Willison published a practical guide recommending which AI models and tools to use for specific tasks. As a widely-read practitioner voice, his model selection opinions reflect real-world usage patterns across current frontier and open-weights offerings. The piece is useful for tracking which models are gaining mindshare among technically sophisticated users.
Related guides (2)
Related events (8)
One Useful Thing: Opinionated guide to which AI to use (Summer 2026)
Ethan Mollick's 'One Useful Thing' newsletter publishes a Summer 2026 edition guide recommending which AI models to use for various tasks. The piece is a practitioner-oriented comparative overview of current AI tools and models. As a regularly updated guide from a widely-read AI commentary source, it reflects the current competitive landscape across frontier models.
Simon Willison introduces 'The AI Compass' framework
Simon Willison published a piece titled 'The AI Compass,' likely presenting a conceptual framework or mental model for navigating AI decisions, use cases, or risks. The body content was not provided, but given Willison's track record, this is likely a substantive analytical or strategic piece aimed at practitioners. As a tier-2 commentary source, it represents informed independent analysis rather than a primary lab announcement.
Simon Willison argues better AI models may produce worse tooling ecosystems
Simon Willison publishes a commentary piece titled 'Better Models: Worse Tools,' suggesting a potential inverse relationship between frontier model capability improvements and the quality or utility of the surrounding tool ecosystem. The piece appears to examine how advances in model capability may reduce incentives or change the design space for tooling built around those models. As a widely-read practitioner voice, Willison's framing could influence how developers think about the agent and tooling landscape.
An Opinionated Guide to Using AI Right Now
A tier-2 commentary piece from One Useful Thing offering opinionated guidance on which AI tools to use in late 2025. The piece likely surveys the current landscape of frontier models and recommends specific tools for specific tasks. As a practitioner-facing guide, it reflects the state of the AI tooling ecosystem as perceived by an influential commentator.
Simon Willison on fears and realities around Chinese AI models
Simon Willison publishes commentary titled 'Who's Afraid of Chinese Models?' examining concerns and attitudes toward Chinese AI models. The piece appears to engage with the geopolitical and technical dimensions of Chinese frontier model development. As a tier-2 commentary from a respected practitioner voice, it likely addresses whether fears about Chinese models are warranted or overstated.
Simon Willison on AI and Liability
Simon Willison publishes a commentary piece on the topic of AI and liability, examining the legal and accountability dimensions of AI systems. The piece addresses questions of who bears responsibility when AI causes harm. This is a relevant signal for tracking how practitioners and commentators are framing AI governance and legal risk.
Simon Willison links: AI Mania Is Eviscerating Global Decision-Making
Simon Willison flags a piece arguing that AI hype is degrading the quality of global decision-making. The item is a link post with minimal body content, suggesting it is a brief pointer to an external critical analysis of AI's societal influence. The underlying claim — that AI mania distorts institutional and policy reasoning — is a substantive critique worth indexing.
Simon Willison: Why AI hasn't replaced software engineers, and won't
Simon Willison publishes a commentary piece arguing against the thesis that AI will replace software engineers. The piece comes from a respected practitioner voice with a track record of nuanced AI analysis. Without body content available, the title signals a counter-narrative to displacement claims that is likely to be widely circulated in practitioner communities.