About
A publication about what comes next.
The Next Token is an independent publication about artificial intelligence. We cover the news, explain how the technology works, read the research and test the products, for people who want to understand AI rather than just keep up with it.
What we cover
- News
- What shipped, what changed and why it matters. Reported from the release notes, papers and model cards, not the timeline.
- How it works
- The machinery behind modern AI, explained from first principles with worked examples, diagrams and code.
- Research
- Papers and ideas worth your time, read closely and explained without assuming a PhD.
- Products
- Hands-on notes on AI tools and products: what they do well, where they fall short and who they are for.
- Notes
- Shorter pieces, editor’s notes and dispatches from the publication itself.
How we report
We start from primary sources: papers, model cards, release notes, official documentation and changelogs. We link them in the text so you can check our reading against the original. When a company makes a claim we cannot verify, we say it is a claim.
We keep three things apart: what has been shown, what has been announced and what we think. When we are speculating, we say so.
How we write
Mechanism before verdict. Before we judge a model or a product, we explain how it works, with worked examples where they help. We would rather you finish a piece understanding one idea properly than skim ten headlines.
We do not invent quotes, benchmark results, prices or release dates. When something we published turns out to be wrong, we correct it and note the change at the top of the piece.
Follow along
New writing appears on the front page and in the RSS feed.