A New World Unveiled
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 1.5 years, since the public launch of ChatGPT, you know that large language models (LLMs) have taken the world by storm. It’s like we’ve been handed the keys to a futuristic world, and I, like many others, am eager to unlock its secrets. The geek in me needs to learn how these models work, figure out how I can personally benefit from them, and how I can educate my children to harness their potential.
The Pervasiveness of LLMs
I’m a believer that LLMs are well on their way to becoming ubiquitous in all aspects of our lives. This sort of power is intoxicating and liberating for all businesses and households worldwide. Imagine a world where AIs manage your schedule, optimize your grocery shopping, and even help your kids with their homework. This isn’t science fiction — it’s our imminent reality.
My Big Data and Statistics Playground
My journey with data started years ago. I studied “Big Data” and dabbled in regressions and ANOVAs, unraveling patterns and insights hidden within massive datasets. I helped build a time-series database used to forecast prices of commodities — a digital crystal ball of sorts. Advanced statistics wasn’t just a subject; it was a playground where code met real-life problems, and solutions were born. More recently, I’ve been fascinated by software companies that leverage vast amounts of data to create products that make our lives better and more efficient.
Big Data and Software
My day job is in helping private equity clients evaluate and optimize their software and technology companies. I evaluate Big Data shops and opine on Big Data pipelines and infrastructure environments. I provide an authoritative point of view on how software (including AI software) can assist in improving a firm’s operations. That is my job. I’ve written in the past about how AI can be used across an organization, but I haven’t personally done research and intense learning of how precisely LLMs (this new emergent technology in AI) work and how they can be configured, tweaked, and tailored for a business’s unique needs and customers. I’m going to write about this in upcoming posts due to the rise of open-source tooling and models.
The LLM Knowledge Gap
Despite my background, the advent of large language models like ChatGPT highlighted a glaring gap in my knowledge. How can ChatGPT so articulately (and often 100% accurately) summarize a meeting? How can it swiftly generate a list of the ten most creative blog topics? It’s like magic, and I needed to uncover the magician’s secrets. I want to learn how neural networks are created, used, and deployed. I will be writing on these topics.
Embarking on a Learning Odyssey
With that, over the last 6 or so months, I’ve been on a relentless quest to learn, learn, and learn some more. These upcoming blog posts are chronicles of my explorations. I’ve spent countless nights engrossed in articles, tutorials, and experiments, often losing track of time and my discoveries. Writing about my journey is my way of keeping a record, but I also hope that sharing these insights will spark curiosity and inspiration in others.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Now is when I need to blog about my personal journey with LLMs.
Stay tuned for a ride through the fascinating landscape of large language models, where each post will reveal a new piece of my puzzle. If there’s anything specific you want me to write on or just want to chat about AI/LLMs, drop me a note.