HYPE OR FACT? · CHECKED 6 NOVEMBER 2026
Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small is on Tinker with weights coming under Apache 2.0
OUR VERDICT
Partly factOur original verdict: “Fact that Thinking Machines announced Inkling 2 Small on 5 Nov 2026 and says it is available on Tinker for fine-tuning and inference, with a planned Apache 2.0 weight release after external safety testing. Partly fact on AA Intelligence Index 31 and other leaderboard rows — company and third-party reported snapshots.”
THE CLAIM
“Introducing Inkling 2 Small. Scoring 31 on the AA Intelligence Index… available for fine-tuning and inference on Tinker today, with full weight release planned soon.”
What’s actually true
- Launch post and product page dated 5 Nov 2026 describe Inkling 2 Small as a MoE with 594B total / 17B active parameters and image inputs.
- Tinker Playground / fine-tuning / sampling availability claimed now; weights not yet public.
- Licence path stated as Apache 2.0 after external safety testing and red-teaming.
- AA Index ~31 and DesignArena / coding tables are vendor or third-party snapshots, not independent Sara-run evals.
Sources
Cost
Tinker usage billed per Thinking Machines pricing; self-hosting cost TBD once weights ship.
USE IT IF
Teams that want a US open-weight-path model for agent loops and fine-tuning on Tinker now.
SKIP IT IF
Anyone who needs open weights today, or who will treat every leaderboard win as proven on their own stack without testing.
How we knowChecked on 6 November 2026. Verdicts: Fact = the claim holds up; Partly fact = real, but with caveats or overstated parts; Hype = the headline claim isn't supported. Products change quickly, so check the maker's site before you buy. Our methods & sources ↗