Generative AI

Hermes 4 AI: A New Standard in Hybrid Reasoning Models

Discover Hermes 4, the open-weight AI model by Nous Research with powerful hybrid reasoning. Learn how it blends speed, accuracy, and open access AI.

By Ananya Rajeev 8 min read
hermes 4 hybrid reasoning ai model nous research

Hermes 4 is a groundbreaking new AI model from Nous Research. It is an open-weight AI model that introduces hybrid reasoning to improve how AI thinks and responds. This model is open-source and aims to push the limits of what freely available AI can do. In simpler terms, Hermes 4 can reason through complex problems step by step when needed, yet still respond quickly for easier questions. It’s built to be powerful, transparent, and user-aligned, making advanced AI capabilities accessible to a global audience.

What is Hermes 4?

Hermes 4 is a family of large language models developed by Nous Research. Being open-weight means the model’s weights (its learned parameters) are available to the public. In other words, researchers and developers can use and modify Hermes 4 on their own machines, unlike many closed AI models that you can only access via an API. Hermes 4 comes in different sizes, including models with 14 billion, 70 billion, and even 405 billion parameters. These numbers refer to the model’s complexity and capacity. A higher parameter count generally means the AI can capture more knowledge and solve tougher problems.

Despite being open and accessible, Hermes 4 achieves performance at the frontier of AI models in its class. The team built Hermes 4 on the latest Llama 3.1 architecture (from Meta’s family of AI models) and extensively fine-tuned the model. The result is an AI that can compete with some of the best. At the same time, it remains completely transparent and community-friendly.

Hybrid Reasoning: How Hermes 4 Thinks

A standout feature of Hermes 4 is its hybrid reasoning ability. But what does hybrid reasoning mean? In simple terms, Hermes 4 has two modes of answering questions:

  • Standard Mode: For straightforward questions or casual conversation, the model responds normally with a direct answer.
  • Reasoning Mode: For complicated or multi-step problems (like difficult math problems, logic puzzles, or coding challenges), the model can internally “think aloud” through the steps. It works through the problem step by step before giving the final answer.

Hermes 4 can switch between these modes as needed. This means if you ask an easy question, it won’t waste time overthinking. If you ask a hard question, it can engage its deep reasoning process to arrive at a correct, well-thought-out answer. This hybrid reasoning approach makes Hermes 4 both efficient and smart – it balances speed with intelligence. It’s like having a calculator that can do quick math. At the same time, it can show you the detailed solution when you need to understand the process.

Key Features and Innovations

Hermes 4 brings several important features and innovations to the table:

  • Open-Source and Transparent: As an open-weight model, anyone can inspect or use its underlying code and data. This transparency builds trust and allows the AI community to improve or adapt the model.
  • Large Scale with Multiple Sizes: Models range from 14B to 405B parameters, so users can choose a version that suits their needs and computing resources. The largest version (405B) is one of the most sophisticated publicly available models to date.
  • Hybrid Reasoning Capability: The model intelligently decides when to think step-by-step. It can handle complex tasks by planning out solutions internally. As a result, Hermes 4 is more accurate in areas like math and coding, yet it still responds quickly when questions are simple.
  • Improved Training Data: Nous Research expanded Hermes 4’s training with a massive new dataset. They generated a lot of synthetic (computer-created) training data using advanced tools and algorithms. This rich dataset helps the model learn a wide variety of topics and improves its reasoning abilities.
  • Quality-Controlled Learning: The team used a technique similar to rejection sampling during training. In essence, they had the model attempt many problems and discarded any low-quality or wrong answers. They only trained Hermes 4 on its best attempts. This approach helped it learn more robust and reliable reasoning patterns.
  • Length Control for Answers: One challenge with AI that reasons deeply is that it might ramble on. The Hermes 4 team introduced a clever method to prevent the model from talking endlessly when in reasoning mode. The model learned to stop its internal thinking and provide an answer at the right time. This keeps answers focused and avoids overly long responses.
  • Neutral Alignment and Steerability: Hermes 4 is designed to align with the user’s instructions and values rather than a strict company policy. It strives to be helpful and answer questions without unnecessary refusals or moralizing, as long as the request is safe. The model also avoids lecturing or patronizing the user. You won’t find Hermes 4 scolding you or excessively flattering you; it maintains a balanced, respectful tone. This neutral stance makes it more steerable, meaning you can guide its style or role more easily (for example, asking it to role-play or adopt a certain tone).
  • Creative and Versatile Responses: Thanks to its training, Hermes 4 excels not just in logic and factual tasks, but also in creative ones. It can write stories or engage in role-play scenarios with a lively imagination. The team specifically trained Hermes 4 to handle a wide range of prompts – from turning a Wikipedia article into a rap song to generating structured data (like JSON format) for developers. This versatility makes it useful for many different use cases.

Why Hermes 4 Matters

Hermes 4 is a significant milestone in the AI community for several reasons:

  • Closing the Gap with Big Tech: It demonstrates that open-source AI models can reach performance levels close to the best proprietary models. In tests and benchmarks, Hermes 4’s largest version has achieved results that rival top AI systems. In some cases, it even outperforms well-known models on specific reasoning tasks. This is encouraging for the community because it shows innovation isn’t limited to large corporations.
  • Empowering Developers and Researchers: Hermes 4’s models are openly available. This means researchers can study how it works, and developers can build new applications on top of it. This openness encourages experimentation and faster progress in AI. For example, someone could fine-tune Hermes 4 for a medical or educational application without starting from scratch.
  • Better AI Assistance: Users benefit from an AI that is both smart and user-aligned. Hermes 4’s hybrid reasoning means it can handle complex queries that simpler chatbots might get wrong. At the same time, its neutral alignment philosophy means it will try to help with a wide range of requests without unnecessary restrictions. This makes AI assistance more useful and less frustrating.
  • Transparency and Trust: The open-weight nature of Hermes 4 means there’s transparency in how the model was built and how it operates. Anyone can inspect the model’s design or the techniques the team used to train it (such as the synthetic data generation system that Nous Research developed). This openness can lead to more trust in AI, as independent experts are able to verify and test the model thoroughly.
  • Innovation in Reasoning: Hermes 4’s new techniques (like hybrid reasoning and length control) are fresh advancements in AI design. They address common issues, such as preventing excessive refusals and avoiding wandering off-track during long reasoning. These innovations could influence future AI models, leading to smarter and more controllable AI systems down the line.
hermes 4 hybrid reasoning ai model nous research
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Getting Started with Hermes 4

Interested in trying Hermes 4 yourself? Here are some ways to get started:

  • Nous Research Platform: Check out Nous Research’s online chat interface (Nous Chat), where you can interact with Hermes 4 directly in your web browser. This is a user-friendly way to test the model’s capabilities without any installation or setup.
  • Hugging Face Models: The Hermes 4 models (14B, 70B, 405B) are available on Hugging Face, a popular repository for AI models. If you have the technical know-how and the right hardware (especially for the largest model), you can download the weights and run the model locally. This lets developers integrate Hermes 4 into their own applications or experiments.
  • Community and Support: Hermes 4 has an active community of users and developers. You can find discussions on forums like Reddit, or join Nous Research’s Discord and Twitter channels for the latest updates and tips. The team has also published a technical report if you want to dive deeper into how they created Hermes 4.

Conclusion

Hermes 4 represents a new frontier for open AI models. It combines sheer scale with clever design to achieve hybrid reasoning abilities that were previously seen only in proprietary systems. For beginners and experts alike, Hermes 4 is an exciting development. It promises more capable and adaptable AI interactions for everyone. Nous Research’s commitment to an open-weight, user-aligned approach means this technology isn’t locked behind closed doors. Instead, it’s a shared advancement that invites everyone to explore, learn, and build upon it.

In summary, Hermes 4 is both powerful and accessible. It thinks deeply when needed and respects the user’s intent, all while pushing the boundaries of what open-source AI can do. As AI continues to evolve, innovations like Hermes 4 help democratize its future. They ensure that AI progress isn’t only in the hands of a few big players, but is a collaborative effort that benefits everyone.

Further Reading

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Ananya Rajeev

Ananya Rajeev is a Kerala-born data scientist and AI enthusiast who simplifies generative and agentic AI for curious minds. B.Tech grad, code lover, and storyteller at heart.