A Large Language Model (LLM) is part of a group of smart tools under Generative AI (GenAI). GenAI can create new items, such as sentences, images, and sounds. LLMs are a type of GenAI, the ones dealing with language. Initially, LLMs are 'general-purpose' tools that can perform basic language tasks like summarizing a story, creating text, or answering questions. However, they can be trained further to understand the language specific to a particular company or industry, becoming 'specialized' tools.
To simplify, imagine an LLM as a car engine. A basic engine enables a car to brake, accelerate, and turn - that's the 'general-purpose' part. But the same engine can be adjusted to work better in a sports car or a minivan.
Now that you get that idea, it can be applied to large language models. These models solve common language problems like text classification, text summarization, brainstorming, and the list goes on.
Source: Google Cloud
Once a basic LLM model is developed using a lot of data, it can then be customized for different fields with less data than what was needed to create the original LLM model. F or instance, the finance company Bloomberg has a specialized LLM named BloombergGPT and the general LLM model is called ChatGPT.
LLMs have many great features:
(i) They can do lots of different things with language, like translating, finishing sentences, and sorting text into categories.
(ii) They can be tweaked to work better for specific jobs or industries.
(iii) They learn really fast and keep getting better.
But there are also some downsides:
(i) Sometimes they create things that seem real but are not, which is called 'hallucinations'.
(ii) They can also show 'bias', meaning they might favor one group of people over another because of the data they were trained on.
Despite these downsides, LLMs are incredibly helpful and have revolutionized how we use AI. They can perform various jobs like summarizing text, creating code, brainstorming, chatting, reasoning, and formatting emails.
Different types of LLMs exist. ChatGPT is the most famous, but others like PaLM and BERT from Google are also available. You might wonder why there are so many versions of LLMs. Just like every household has its version of Indian Dal or Italian Marinara sauce, every brand has its own recipe for its LLMs.
In summary, LLMs are intelligent tools that can perform various language tasks and can be adjusted for specific jobs. Although they sometimes create unrealistic content or show bias, they are incredibly valuable and have transformed the way we use AI.
Stay tuned for next week, when we will explore algorithms that help create audio and images. Yes, that's right, the GenAI I mentioned earlier can do all of that!
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