Qwen3.8 Max matches Claude Opus — but hallucinations jumped 74%

alibaba released qwen3.8 max, achieving a score of 56 on the artificial analysis index to match claude opus 4.8, while also jumping 468 elo points on the gdpval-aa benchmark to 1,739. despite these gains, the model requires 64 steps per task and costs $1.14 per task—more than double its predecessor—while competitor kimi k3 scores higher for less money. furthermore, benchmarks show regressions: aa-omniscience fell 10 points, and the hallucination rate surged from 23% to 40%, meaning the model guesses more often rather than admitting ignorance. this indicates that while raw capability increased, the reliability necessary for enterprise deployment may have compromised.