If Anthropic’s accusation is substantiated — if using another model’s outputs to train your own model is considered “illicit extraction” — then everyone in the AI industry is guilty.
If you fine-tuned a model on GPT-4 outputs, you distilled GPT-4.
If you used Claude to generate training data for your classifier, you distilled Claude.
If you learned anything from any model’s outputs and used that to improve your own system or your own brain, you distilled it.
The line between “learning” and “distilling” is non-existent. Intelligence is distillation. That’s literally how learning works — you expose yourself to high-quality outputs, internalize patterns, and generate your own.
If I use Anthropic’s model to learn and train my own brain, am I also distilling their model?
Yes, I have.
1. Two RTX 3090s in Linux 22.04
2. Running Qwen3.6-27B Q6_K_XL GGUF
3. Using my own harness AZPal, I build myself, also wire it with Hermes Agent, works fine
4. Many times it solve problem that Codex can't solve
If you fine-tuned a model on GPT-4 outputs, you distilled GPT-4. If you used Claude to generate training data for your classifier, you distilled Claude. If you learned anything from any model’s outputs and used that to improve your own system or your own brain, you distilled it. The line between “learning” and “distilling” is non-existent. Intelligence is distillation. That’s literally how learning works — you expose yourself to high-quality outputs, internalize patterns, and generate your own.
If I use Anthropic’s model to learn and train my own brain, am I also distilling their model?
The accusation confuses learning with theft.
https://xhinker.medium.com/pot-calling-the-kettle-black-why-...