Why the Smart Bet Might Be on Small Language Models - Not LLMs

In the corporate race to harness artificial intelligence, large language models (LLMs) have emerged as the poster child of innovation. From OpenAI’s GPT-4 to Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude (as well as loud new entrants like DeepSeek), companies across industries are scrambling to invest in these behemoth AI systems, believing they hold the key to unlocking competitive advantages. However, as the dust settles, a new perspective is emerging - one that suggests the real opportunity might not be in LLMs at all but in their more focused, domain-specific cousins: Small Language Models (SLMs). SLMs, designed for highly contextualised and deeply specific data, knowledge, and intelligence, could be the smarter and more cost-effective choice for businesses looking to drive real-world impact.