Introduction to Large Language Models
Chapter 1: Understanding Large Language Models
What is Artificial Intelligence? A Brief Overview
Introducing Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Defining Large Language Models (LLMs)
How LLMs Learn from Text Data
Examples of Tasks LLMs Can Perform
Common Misconceptions about LLMs
Quiz for Chapter 1
Chapter 2: The Mechanics of LLMs (Simplified)
Representing Words: Tokens and Embeddings
Predicting the Next Word: The Core Idea
The Role of Training Data Size
Understanding Model Parameters
Introduction to Transformer Architecture (High-Level)
How Context Influences Generation
Quiz for Chapter 2
Chapter 3: Communicating with LLMs: Prompts
What is a Prompt?
Basic Prompting Techniques
Providing Instructions Clearly
Giving Examples (Few-Shot Prompting)
Controlling Output Length and Format
Common Prompting Challenges
Practice: Crafting Your First Prompts
Quiz for Chapter 3
Chapter 4: A Look at Different LLMs
Overview of Foundational Models
General Purpose vs. Specialized Models
Open vs. Closed Models: What's the Difference?
Understanding Model Size and Capabilities
Accessing Models: APIs and Interfaces
Quiz for Chapter 4
Chapter 5: Using Pre-trained LLMs
What are Pre-trained Models?
Finding and Choosing an LLM Service
Interacting via Web Interfaces
Introduction to Using LLM APIs
Sending Your First API Request
Interpreting LLM Responses
Hands-on Practical: Simple Text Generation Task
Quiz for Chapter 5
Accessing Models: APIs and Interfaces
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- OpenAI API Reference - Chat Completions, OpenAI, 2024 - This official documentation provides practical guidance on how to programmatically interact with OpenAI's large language models, detailing API endpoints, request formats, parameters, and response handling, which is crucial for developers.
- Gemini API overview, Google, 2024 (Google) - This official resource offers a guide to using Google's Gemini API for integrating large language model capabilities into applications, covering setup, authentication, and example API calls.
- What is an API?, Burke Holland, 2020 (Microsoft) - A conceptual overview that defines APIs and explains their fundamental role in enabling communication between different software systems, offering background for the "developer's gateway" concept.
- Prompt Engineering Guide, DAIR.AI, 2024 - This guide educates on crafting effective prompts and adjusting parameters (e.g., temperature, top_p) when interacting with LLMs, particularly relevant for understanding the finer control offered by APIs.