The Automat

Field notes from the bleeding edge of business

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Context Windows Got Huge. Here's Why Your Agent Still Forgets

Context Windows Got Huge. Here's Why Your Agent Still Forgets

Context Windows Got Huge. Here's Why Your Agent Still Forgets

Drew Donaldson

Published on: 05/08/2026

Long context windows limitations, explained: why million-token models still forget, how context rot bites, and when retrieval beats a bigger window.

LLM Newslong context windows limitations2026AI operatorslost in the middle

Open-Weight Models Grew Up: The Quiet Case for Owning Your Stack

Open-Weight Models Grew Up: The Quiet Case for Owning Your Stack

Open-Weight Models Grew Up: The Quiet Case for Owning Your Stack

Drew Donaldson

Published on: 24/07/2026

Open-weight models for enterprise now route most tokens at a fraction of the cost. When to own your stack, when to rent frontier APIs.

LLM Newsopen weight models enterprise2026enterprise AI operatorsself-hosting vs frontier APIs

Past the Hype Cycle: What AI Is Quietly Good At in 2026

Past the Hype Cycle: What AI Is Quietly Good At in 2026

Past the Hype Cycle: What AI Is Quietly Good At in 2026

Drew Donaldson

Published on: 10/07/2026

An anti-hype, anti-doom field report on AI hype vs reality in 2026: where AI quietly earns its keep, where the loud use cases stall, and how to tell them apart.

LLM NewsAI hype vs reality2026independent consultants & growth-stage teamspractical AI ROI

Small Models Quietly Won the Enterprise

Small Models Quietly Won the Enterprise

Small Models Quietly Won the Enterprise

Drew Donaldson

Published on: 05/06/2026

Small Models Quietly Won the Enterprise. Field notes from Automata Intelligentsia.

LLM NewsAI2026Automata IntelligentsiaDrew Donaldson