CSET

Large Language Models (LLMs): An Explainer

James Dunham

August 1, 2023

CSET has received a lot of questions about LLMs and their implications. But questions and discussions tend to miss some basics about LLMs and how they work. In this blog post, we ask CSET’s NLP Engineer, James Dunham, to help us explain LLMs in plain English.

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What exactly are the differences between generative AI, large language models, and foundation models? This post aims to clarify what each of these three terms mean, how they overlap, and how they differ.

Analysis

Truth, Lies, and Automation

May 2021

Growing popular and industry interest in high-performing natural language generation models has led to concerns that such models could be used to generate automated disinformation at scale. This report examines the capabilities of GPT-3--a cutting-edge AI system that writes text--to analyze its potential misuse for disinformation. A model like GPT-3 may be able to help disinformation actors substantially reduce the work necessary to write disinformation while expanding its reach and potentially also its effectiveness.

Steph Batalis, Caroline Schuerger and Vikram Venkatram explore three notable areas in the life sciences where LLMs are catalyzing meaningful advances: drug discovery, genetics, and precision medicine.

CSET's Andrew Lohn and Joshua A. Goldstein share their insights on the difficulties of identifying AI-generated text in disinformation campaigns in their op-ed in Lawfare.