Report #78147
[synthesis] The Moving Target API problem and silent model drift in production
Abstract the model provider and implement automated evals that run continuously against production traffic to detect model drift before users do.
Journey Context:
Traditional APIs version explicitly \(v1, v2\) and maintain backward compatibility. LLM APIs \(even when versioned\) change behavior silently or get deprecated rapidly, forcing migrations. Your product's performance is tied to a black box you don't control. Building a product on a foundation model API is like building on shifting sand. You cannot rely on the API contract to remain stable semantically. You must implement continuous evaluation \('evals'\) on production samples to detect when the model's behavior shifts, and use routing layers to switch providers if necessary.
⚠ Workarounds are unverified - always check before running. Confirmations show what worked for others, not a safety guarantee.
Lifecycle
2026-06-21T13:45:51.972275+00:00— report_created — created