What are large language models, and how do they work?

Although artificial intelligence (AI) is a hot topic across numerous industries, its diverse applications are hardly new. Forward-thinking organizations have been leveraging AI tools for years, whether for financial modeling and forecasting or supply chain planning and optimization. 

Now, with global AI spending expected to double by 2026, enterprises are readier than ever to embrace the power of sophisticated algorithms. Large language models (LLMs), in particular, are poised to usher in a wave of exciting and far-reaching capabilities.
 

What is a large language model?

A large language model is a type of artificial intelligence algorithm that’s trained to learn the patterns and structures of a given language. This not only allows it to understand and summarize information, but also generate and predict new content.

Like all language models, LLMs are first “trained” on a data set, allowing them to infer relationships and generate content based on that information. In simple terms, training is merely the process of teaching AI to perceive, interpret, and learn from data. 

The term “large” is a reference to the number of parameters LLMs are trained on—the numerical values and variables they use to map relationships between words and phrases.

Language models can contain billions of parameters. For example, OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4 is rumored to have over 1 trillion.
 

How do large language models work?

LLMs use deep learning algorithms—a subset of machine learning (ML)—to generate outputs based on patterns learned from the training data.

They work primarily on a specialized transformer-based architecture, which is a type of deep learning model that “transforms” text data into a numerical format.

Google first introduced the concept of transformers in its 2017 paper “Attention Is All You Need.” In essence, transformer models process text data through a neural network—an AI engine made up of multiple nodes and layers. This enables it to read vast amounts of text, comprehend how words and phrases relate to each other, and then predict what should come next in the pattern.
 

Large language models and natural language processing

Natural language processing (NLP) is a field of data science and artificial intelligence that focuses on creating and improving systems that "understand" human language. The ultimate goal for many NLP tasks is for the machine to interpret and generate human language in a way that’s meaningful and useful. 

In general, language models are AI tools that enable exactly that. LLMs are evolutions of NLP, as they allow people to input queries in natural language to generate a human-like response.
 

3 large language model examples

As AI adoption continues to rise, a combination of open-source LLMs have gained popularity. Some of the most well-known models include:

ChatGPT

OpenAI originally released its Generative Pre-Trained (GPT) model in 2020. Ever since, it’s garnered a reputation as perhaps the largest LLM available on the market. The latest iteration, ChatGPT-4, not only has the power to understand and generate text, but also processes images and video. That said, it still only produces answers in text format.

Among its many applications, its most relevant use cases include:

• Content creation
• Video marketing
• Web development

PaLM

Google’s Pathways Language Model (PaLM) is another widely used LLM with a range of capabilities.

Google unveiled PaLM 2 in May 2023. According to Google, this second generation is more heavily trained on multilingual text data, allowing it to understand, generate, and translate nuanced information—poems, idioms, riddles, and more—in over 100 languages. Applications include:

• Code generation
• Cybersecurity threat analysis
• Medical diagnostics and research

LLaMa

LLaMa—Large Language Model Meta AI—is Meta’s own foray into artificial intelligence. According to Meta, as of July 2023, LLaMa 2 is built on over 70 billion parameters and in partnership with Microsoft. It’s designed to be a highly versatile model suited for any number of data language processing tasks and everyday applications. 

For example, some of its most relevant use cases include:

• Content summarization
• Marketing and advertising
• Customized learning experiences
   

Challenges and limitations of LLMs

As is the case with all AI models, LLMs aren’t without their fair share of obstacles. Although they're developing at a rapid pace, most systems are in their infancy—and there’s a good reason for that. 

The process of creating and training any subset of AI—let alone a large language model—is extremely complex. It requires an enormous amount of high-quality data, not to mention the time and resources to train, fine-tune, and manage it after completion. Of course, development and operational costs may be prohibitive to some organizations. 

Models themselves are also difficult to understand and manage.

Large language model FAQs

AI is complicated, and LLMs are no different. Let’s review some frequently asked questions to better understand the basics:

What’s the difference between a large language model and generative AI?

LLMs are a subset of generative AI focused specifically on natural language understanding and generation. Generative AI encompasses a broader range of AI models and techniques used for generating various types of data, not limited to text.

What are the benefits of large language models?

LLMs have numerous benefits. For example, the models are capable of generating text that appears to be written by a human, and they can "enhance" writing styles in some cases.

They require only a prompt to perform a given task. LLMs are also highly versatile and can be leveraged for any number of personal and professional functions.

What are some top use cases for LLMs?

Organizations are using LLMs to their advantage in various ways, including:

• Content ideation, creation, summarization, and analysis
• Sentiment analysis
• Conversational AI and chatbots
• Language translation
• Web development and code generation
• Information retrieval
• Fraud detection
   

Unlock the potential of LLMs

Large language models rely on efficient data management throughout the training and development process. With Teradata VantageCloud, organizations can maximize the effectiveness of their LLMs and reap the benefits of enterprise AI.

Combined with the powerful ClearScape Analytics™ engine, businesses can accelerate model training and deployment, making it easier for them to operationalize AI and stimulate long-term growth. 

Connect with us to learn more about Teradata VantageCloud and how we can help your organization tap into the power of artificial intelligence.