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The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

GlossaryAI in MarketingReasoning Model

AI in Marketing

Reasoning Model

An AI model that works through problems step by step before answering, trading speed and cost for better accuracy on complex tasks.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

A reasoning model is an AI model that works through problems step by step before giving an answer. By spending more computation on intermediate thinking, it improves accuracy on complex tasks such as analysis, math, planning, and coding. The trade-off is slower responses and higher cost compared with standard models for simple requests.