Matthew Lynley, a former TechCruncher and founder of the AI-focused newsletter Supervised, dives into the evolution of large language models. He discusses how transformers revolutionized AI by enhancing attention mechanisms. The conversation also highlights recent acquisitions in the AI space, particularly Databricks and Snowflake's roles in shaping the LLM stack. Lastly, Lynley examines the startup landscape, noting how emerging companies are gearing up to make significant impacts in the ongoing AI race.
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Evolution of LLMs
LLMs evolved from recurrent neural networks, which used recurrence.
Attention mechanisms were introduced, leading to transformers using self-attention.
insights INSIGHT
ChatGPT's UX Advantage
ChatGPT's success is due to its user experience, not entirely novel technology.
The underlying tech has seen incremental progress, accelerated by increased compute power.
insights INSIGHT
Diverging Approaches to LLMs
Databricks focuses on end-to-end machine learning, including model training.
Snowflake focuses on fine-tuning with customer data and Streamlit deployment.
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We brought him back on the show to ask him questions in a format where we can all learn together. Here’s what we got into:
From Transformers to GPT4: How attention became so critical inside of neural networks, and how transformers set the path for modern AI services.
Recent acquisitions in the AI space, and what it means for the “LLM stack:” With Databricks buying MosaicML and Snowflake already busy with its own checkbook, a lot of folks are working to build out a full-stack LLM data extravaganza. We talked about what that means.
Where startups sit in the current AI race: While it’s great to think about the majors, we also need to know what the startup angle is. The answer? It’s a little early to say, but what is clear is that startups are taking some big swings at the industry and are hellbent to snag a piece of the pie.
Thanks to everyone for hanging out with us. Equity is back on Friday for our weekly news roundup!
Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.
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