1 Large language models: The foundation of generative AI
This chapter covers
- Introducing large language models
- Understanding the intuition behind transformers
- Exploring the applications, limitations, and risks of large language models
- Surveying the major players in generative AI
On November 30, 2022, San Francisco–based company OpenAI tweeted, “Try talking with ChatGPT, our new AI system which is optimized for dialogue. Your feedback will help us improve it” [1]. ChatGPT, a chatbot that interacts with users through a web interface, was described as a minor update to the existing models that OpenAI had already released and made available through APIs (application programming interfaces). But with the release of the web app, anyone could have conversations with ChatGPT and ask it to write poetry or code, recommend movies or workout plans, or summarize or explain pieces of text. Many of the responses felt like magic. ChatGPT set the tech world on fire, reaching 1 million users in a matter of days and 100 million users two months after launch. By some measures, it’s the fastest-growing internet service ever [2].