Definition
Plain language
A tuning knob that controls how strongly an extra signal is mixed into something.
As stated in the literature
A scalar coefficient controlling intervention strength — in steering experiments, the multiplier on an added activation vector; in goodput, the slack factor on ideal task time.
Why it matters: Many techniques live or die by how their strength knob is set, so 'alpha' is the parameter you tune to balance effect size against side effects.
For example, in activation steering, raising alpha from 1 to 5 makes the injected direction dominate the model's behavior more strongly.
Heard on the show
“… Then a group called the alpha omega agents did something different: instead of polishing the existing arrangement, they jumped …”Episode 129 — How a Crowd of Anonymous AI Agents Broke a 40-Year Math Record