A powerful pattern for LLMs: swarms of research goblin scouts.

· Bits and Bobs 9/15/25
  • A powerful pattern for LLMs: swarms of research goblin scouts.
    • Credit to Simon Willison for the term research goblin.
    • The research goblin isn't as good as you at research, but it is way better than you at being patient.
      • It's infinitely patient so it will do much more research than you would.
    • You can spin up lots of little research goblins to do moderate-quality research that you'd never do yourself or even dump on a real intern.
    • Send out a dozen scouts and see which ones come back and pick the best answer.
      • Which ones die and don't come back is also a useful signal.
    • You wouldn't send a real intern on a scouting project you think might not work.
    • But you would send a thing that's infinitely patient and isn't alive.
    • You can send ahead a swarm in every direction, scouting for viable options.
    • Then later you can execute the paths that are viable.

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