Free playbook · October 2026 edition

The Executive’s Frontier AI Model Playbook.

A 17-page field guide for leaders who are not technical. What each frontier model is for, how to read the names and tiers, and which one to use for which job.

Cover of The Executive's Frontier AI Model Playbook, October 2026 edition

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What’s inside

Pick the model for the job, not the vendor for the year.

  1. How to read a model name

    Family, generation, tier and mode, and the three-tier pattern that every major vendor now follows.

  2. Model profiles

    Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, xAI, Meta and the open-weight field, with release dates, what each model is for, and API prices.

  3. How to read a launch announcement

    What to look for so you can judge a new release for your team in five minutes.

  4. Use-case matrices

    Which model for which job, by function, by what the task demands, and by the stakes of the work.

  5. Architecture and pricing

    The five-layer stack and what each tier costs as of October 2026.

  6. Compliance first filter

    A procurement checklist for regulated industries, plus a plain-English glossary and the full source list.

A look inside
Page 3: how to read a model name
How to read a model name
Page 4: Anthropic model profiles
Model profiles, with prices
Page 10: use-case matrices by function
Which model for which job

All model names, dates and prices were checked against vendor pages on October 8, 2026. Written by Brett Jansen, CEO and Chief Growth Officer, Cresera AI Partners.

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