Six Intuitions About Large Language Models

This article presents a clear and accessible overview of why large language models (LLMs) are surprisingly effective. It grounds its explanations in the simple task of next-word prediction, demonstrating how this seemingly basic objective can lead to the acquisition of a wide range of skills, from grammar and semantics to world knowledge and even arithmetic. The use of examples is particularly effective in illustrating the multi-task learning aspect of LLMs. The author's recommendation to manually examine data is a valuable suggestion for gaining deeper insights into how these models function. The article is well-written and provides a good starting point for understanding the capabilities of LLMs.

• •Large language models learn a surprising amount from next-word prediction.
• •Next-word prediction can be viewed as a form of multi-task learning.
• •Manually examining data can provide valuable insights into LLM behavior.