LLM edits small model weights directly with no backprop, fixing a stuck PPO policy by patching 3.5% of weights

bookwormengr · x · 2026-11-03

A striking demo shows a large model reading and directly editing a small model's weights without backpropagation: a PPO-trained car policy kept getting stuck on a ramp, and given the weights, the scene, and one failed trace, Astra wrote a patch in a single reply with no tool use — editing just 3.5% of weights to reach 100% success. The poster hails it as a possible backprop replacement for small models and asks the author about catastrophic forgetting. Single-case demo, unverified at scale, but a fascinating "model patches model" paradigm.

Related event: MIT: LLM Edits 0.016% of Weights to Boost Small Model Math Sixfold(40 posts)→

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