Large context windows are useful. They are not a strategy.
Five myths
Myth 1 — Paste the whole drive.
Reality: Noise increases hallucination and cost. Use governed retrieval (context architecture).
Myth 2 — Bigger window removes need for memory design.
Reality: You still need memory types with retention rules.
Myth 3 — If it fits, the model “understands” it all.
Reality: Attention is uneven; critical rules belong in task and policy layers, repeated deliberately.
Myth 4 — Context size fixes bad workflows.
Reality: Random quality across users is a workflow problem (prompt vs workflow engineering).
Myth 5 — Vendor window size equals production readiness.
Reality: Readiness is eval gates, audit trails, and ownership.
What to do instead
Right-size context per run, version policy packs, measure accuracy on held-out cases—not token count alone.