Fine-tune for tone and format: Which distinction should guide the design?

Fine-tuning addresses behavioral style, while retrieval addresses weekly-changing handbook facts.

The question

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1. Fine-tune on weekly handbook versions to ensure factual currency.

   Repeated fine-tuning may alter behavior, but it does not guarantee reliable access to the latest handbook or prevent factual errors.
2. Use retrieval alone because retrieval changes the assistant’s learned behavior.

   Retrieval supplies contextual information but does not generally modify the model’s learned tone or response-format behavior.
3. Increase model size because larger models naturally follow updated formats.

   Model size does not specifically establish desired tone, formatting compliance, current handbook access, or factual reliability.
4. Fine-tune for tone and format; retrieve the current handbook. ✓

   Fine-tuning can shape learned behavior, while retrieval supplies changing handbook content without assuming training remains current.

How to remember it

Fine-tuning addresses behavioral style, while retrieval addresses weekly-changing handbook facts.

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