The hottest Language Models Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics
Gonzo ML β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 10 Mar 24
  1. OLMo is an open language model created by Allen AI, differentiating itself by being completely open-source including logs, checkpoints, and evaluation scripts under the Apache 2.0 License.
  2. OLMo comprises three models: 1B, 7B, and 65B, demonstrating improvements in classic transformer decoders similar to GPT, such as specific tokenization for PII and non-parametric layer normalization.
  3. OLMo was trained on data from their own dataset Dolma with plans to expand beyond English, showcasing their training process with PyTorch FSDP and evaluation using their benchmark Paloma and the Catwalk framework.
Joshua Gans' Newsletter β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 28 Dec 23
  1. The legal battles around copyright and generative AI are escalating, with the New York Times suing OpenAI and Microsoft for alleged copyright infringement.
  2. Many examples in the lawsuit involve large language models generating text that resembles NYT content, raising questions about whether it constitutes copying.
  3. Understanding how AI prediction machines like LLMs work is crucial in evaluating copyright infringement claims, especially when models generate text probabilistically from publicly available data.
The Irregular Voice β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 01 Apr 24
  1. Some math problems in the MATH() dataset have incorrect answers marked during evaluation, possibly due to bugs in question generation or solution calculation code.
  2. Certain math problems in the MATH() dataset are overly complex, requiring lengthy computations or involving very large numbers, making them challenging for un-augmented language models.
  3. The MATH() dataset includes math problems with arithmetic or factorization involving extremely large numbers, which may not accurately test a language model's mathematical reasoning ability.
Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 04 Jun 23
  1. A new open-source language model called Falcon has been created, and it performs better than several other models, showing a strong leap in technology.
  2. The model is built with a huge amount of information, having 40 billion parameters and trained on one trillion tokens, making it powerful for research and business.
  3. Falcon is available for free, meaning anyone can use it without paying royalties, which aims to help more people access technology and promote inclusivity.
The Future of Life β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 29 Mar 23
  1. As AGI gets closer to reality, we need strong rules to manage it to keep humanity safe. It's really important to set these guidelines before AGI becomes widely used.
  2. ChatGPT and similar models can understand natural language better than old robots. This means they can follow our instructions by understanding the context of what we say.
  3. There’s a risk that AI might not always follow our instructions correctly. However, using natural language can help in getting AIs to behave the way we want them to, showing a promising direction for controlling AI.
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Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 14 Aug 24
  1. Apple has released a new framework called ToolSandbox. It's designed to evaluate how well AI agents use tools in a stateful and conversational way.
  2. The framework shows that even the best AI models struggle with complex tasks. This helps us understand where they can improve.
  3. ToolSandbox highlights the importance of managing both dialog and the environment for AI agents. This allows them to follow user instructions more effectively.
Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 26 Jan 24
  1. Prompt-RAG is a simpler way to use language models without needing complex data setups like vector embeddings. This makes it easier to apply for specific tasks.
  2. It uses a Table of Contents to find the right information quickly, which helps generate more accurate responses to user questions.
  3. While it's great for small projects, it may face challenges with larger data or technical scaling as needs grow.
Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 17 Jan 24
  1. Researchers are developing different methods to improve the output of large language models (LLMs). This includes techniques like self-correction and feedback from both humans and models.
  2. There are two main approaches when using LLMs: one relies heavily on the model itself, while the other uses external frameworks and human input to enhance accuracy.
  3. Challenges with LLMs, like generating false or harmful content, can be addressed through careful correction strategies that can happen during or after the model's output is generated.
Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 13 Dec 23
  1. The number of research papers on large language models (LLMs) has surged significantly, rising from about one per day to nearly nine since 2019. This shows a growing interest in understanding these models.
  2. Three important skills of LLMs are in-context learning, following instructions, and step-by-step reasoning. These abilities help models perform better on various tasks.
  3. Open-source LLMs, like Meta's LLaMA, have made it easier for researchers to customize and grow these models, leading to more innovation in the field.
Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 04 Dec 23
  1. Self-consistency prompting helps improve the accuracy of language models when solving reasoning problems. It does this by generating different reasoning paths and choosing the most consistent answer.
  2. Using self-consistency can lead to better performance in various tasks, including arithmetic and common-sense reasoning. It shows clear accuracy gains across multiple language models.
  3. This approach requires careful sampling and processing of the reasoning paths to get the best final answer. It's all about making sense of the various responses to reach a clear conclusion.
Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 27 Nov 23
  1. Contrastive Chain-of-Thought Prompting (CCoT) improves reasoning by using both correct and incorrect examples. This helps the model identify mistakes better.
  2. CCoT is part of a broader trend that emphasizes the importance of complex, contextual data in training models. The way data is found and formatted is crucial for success.
  3. Creating automated methods for generating examples in CCoT can enhance the learning process. By showing positive and negative instances, models can learn what to avoid.
Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 15 Nov 23
  1. Chain of Empathy Prompting (CoE) helps large language models understand and respond to human emotions better. It uses ideas from psychotherapy to recognize how a person's feelings affect what they say.
  2. Emergent abilities in language models allow them to perform unexpected tasks without being specifically trained for them. CoE is an example of how these models can develop new skills through better understanding of context.
  3. Understanding the emotional context of a conversation is crucial for effective communication between humans and AI. By recognizing feelings, AI can respond in ways that feel more supportive and understanding.
Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 31 Oct 23
  1. Chatbot development has limited tools, making it hard to create flexible and intelligent systems. Developers often start from scratch, which can slow down progress.
  2. Large Language Models (LLMs) bring many features together, but the challenge is managing their overwhelming capabilities. Instead of building from nothing, developers must learn to control and direct LLMs effectively.
  3. There is a shift towards more general LLMs that can handle various tasks, making it easier to develop comprehensive applications. New techniques are also being created to better guide LLM responses.
Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 27 Sep 23
  1. LLM Drift refers to the changes in the responses of language models over time, where their accuracy can significantly decline.
  2. Prompt Drift happens when the same prompt gives different responses because of changes in the model or data, even if the prompt itself hasn't changed.
  3. Cascading occurs when errors from one part of a process affect subsequent parts, making issues worse as they go along.
Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 26 Sep 23
  1. Prompt engineering might not be the main way we interact with AI in the future. It seems we'll use more natural and voice-based communication instead.
  2. Understanding context and reducing ambiguity are key challenges in human-like conversations with AI. This helps the AI to provide better answers.
  3. For businesses, fine-tuning models and using tools like context references help improve AI responses. Both methods work together to make AI better.