ChatGPT & LLM's
A large language model (LLM) is a model trained to work with patterns in language, often by predicting tokens from context.
Overzicht
A chatbot such as ChatGPT is an application around models and other systems; the model and the complete product are not the same thing.
Key takeaways
- Separate the chatbot product from the model it uses.
- Next-token generation and fact verification are different processes.
- Check the evidence behind important claims, including apparently convincing citations.
Diepe duik
Text is converted into tokens, which can represent words, parts of words, or other units. An autoregressive language model uses the current context to produce scores for possible next tokens. Generation selects a token and continues from the expanded context. The result can be useful prose, code, or structured text, but this process does not automatically verify facts. Many modern LLMs use transformer architectures. Attention lets a model combine information from different positions in a sequence. The original transformer paper is a useful source for that architecture, but it does not establish every detail of a particular commercial chatbot's implementation. Training, prompting, retrieval, and tools are different mechanisms. Training changes parameters. A prompt supplies the current task and context. Retrieval supplies selected documents or passages. Tools can carry out actions such as searching or calculating. A product may combine these mechanisms, so an answer's quality depends on more than the base model. Fluency is not a truth signal. A model can invent a citation, blend incompatible facts, or answer beyond the supplied evidence. For important factual work, identify the supporting passage, open the source, and check that it actually supports the claim. Treat a model's statement about its own confidence as an output to evaluate, not as independent evidence.
Technisch inzicht
The context supplied to a model is not the same as its training data. Supplying a document can improve access to relevant information, but retrieval does not guarantee that the model will use or cite it correctly.
Test whether an answer stays within the evidence
- Supply this invented note: 'The workshop starts at 10:00. Registration closes Friday.'
- Ask: 'What time does the workshop end? Answer only from the note. If it is not stated, say that it is not stated.'
- The expected answer is that the ending time is not stated. An invented finishing time is a failure even if it sounds plausible.
This is a small evaluation case you can reuse. The expected answer is a test criterion, not a claim that every model will pass it.
Strategische impact
Speed and scale
Taalworkflows kunnen sneller verlopen zonder dat dit ten koste gaat van de consistentie.
Access and reach
Het breidt de toegang uit naar meerdere talen en communicatiestijlen.
Clearer decisions
Teams kunnen meer tijd besteden aan beoordeling, terwijl automatisering de herhaling afhandelt.
Implementatie in de echte wereld
Ask an LLM to extract dates from a supplied document, then compare every returned date with the text.
Use a model to draft code, then run tests and review its behavior before deploying it.
Request a summary of an article with supporting passages, then check that the summary does not add claims the article never made.
Risico's en vangrails
Gehallucineerde feiten kunnen stilletjes rapporten binnendringen, stromen ondersteunen of onderzoeksresultaten opleveren.
Gevoeligheid voor prompts kan inconsistente resultaten opleveren voor vergelijkbare verzoeken.
Gevoelige tekstgegevens kunnen openbaar worden gemaakt als de toegangscontroles zwak zijn.
Implementatie routekaart
Definieer het uitvoerformaat, de toon en de kwaliteitsnormen vóór de implementatie.
Grondreacties met vertrouwde bronnen wanneer nauwkeurigheid belangrijk is.
Houd een menselijk controlepunt bij voor resultaten met een hoge inzet.
Houd faalpatronen bij en train prompts of workflows regelmatig opnieuw.
Sources and further reading
- GoogleIntroduction to large language models
- Vaswani and colleaguesAandacht is alles wat je nodig hebt
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Frequently asked questions
Is an LLM the same thing as a chatbot?
No. An LLM is a model. A chatbot is an application that may combine models, instructions, retrieval, tools, memory features, and a user interface.
Does adding sources eliminate hallucinations?
No. Sources can supply relevant evidence, but a model can still misread it, ignore it, or attach a citation to an unsupported claim. Check the source against the answer.