Strategic Transition from SFT to RL in LLM Development: A Performance-Driven Approach
Analysis
Key Takeaways
- •The transition from SFT to RL in LLM development should be driven by performance signals and task objectives.
- •SFT is responsible for teaching the LLM the format and inference rules.
- •RL focuses on teaching the LLM preferences, safety, and overall quality of responses.
“SFT: Phase for teaching 'etiquette (format/inference rules)'; RL: Phase for teaching 'preferences (good/bad/safety)'”