Failing to Adapt Prompts to Newer Models Wastes 50% of AI Gains, Says OpenAI Researcher
daveholtz · x · 2026-08-13
OpenAI researcher Dave Holtz shared new findings on 'prompt adaptation.' His lab experiments show that if users do not actively update and adapt their prompting strategies when interacting with more capable models, they leave about 50% of the potential performance gains (alpha) on the table. This suggests that half of the value derived from AI depends on human interaction and steering, rather than just the underlying model capabilities.
Related event: OpenAI Study: Failing to Adapt Prompts Loses Half of AI Upgrades' Value(3 posts)→
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