LLM Working Group (March 2024)

March 18, 2024, 1:00pm to 2:30pm

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Location: Hybrid in-person in the D-Lab Collaboratory, 356 Social Sciences Building (3rd floor), or join us via Zoom! 

In-person attendance: Seating is based on a first-come, first-served basis. The first 35 people will be admitted. 

Date & Time: This hybrid event occurs on:

  • Monday, March 18 @ 1:00pm-2:30pm
    • Teaching with LLMs: Emily Hellmich, Genevieve Smith, and Cheryl Berg will lead a dialogue on the potential of LLMs in reshaping educational landscapes.
    • For attendees joining us on-site, the first 15 minutes are set aside for networking with colleagues. For those attending virtually, we will use the initial 15 minutes for registration check-in.

  • Monday, April 22 @ 1:00pm-2:30pm
    • Understanding LLMs: Tarun Gogigeni, who is part of the Technical Staff at OpenAI, will discuss the state of the art of research on the inner workings and output of LLMs. Tarun works with John Schulman & Liam Fedus on RL and ChatGPT, and is a core contributor to GPT4 in the realm of Model Creativity.
    • For attendees joining us on-site, the first 15 minutes are set aside for networking with colleagues. For those attending virtually, we will use the initial 15 minutes for registration check-in.

  • Monday, May 13 @ 1:00pm-2:30pm
    • Researching with LLMs: Douglas Guilbeault and Chris Soria will delve into the use of LLMs as part of the researcher toolkit. We will discuss the use of APIs, prompt engineering, and other techniques to integrate LLMs into research.
    • For attendees joining us on-site, the first 15 minutes are set aside for networking with colleagues. For those attending virtually, we will use the initial 15 minutes for registration check-in.

Description

The LLM Working Group is a community founded to facilitate conversations about Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI within academia. This 4-part series will provide fundamental knowledge of LLMs, and generate conversation about the promises and challenges of LLMs in different facets of academic work.

In the second session, Teaching with LLMs, Kimberly Vinall, Emily Hellmich, Genevieve Smith, and Ben Spanbock will lead a dialogue on the potential of LLMs in reshaping educational landscapes. It discusses educational challenges such as AI literacy, academic integrity, biases, hallucinations, and privacy issues, as well as opportunities such as accessibility and democratization.

Questions we will be addressing include:

  • How can we cultivate openness in class about students using LLMs and GenAI?
  • Will LLMs fundamentally alter the importance of remembering knowledge and learning?
  • Are LLMs fundamentally different from other information technologies like Wikipedia?
  • How to cultivate openness in class about students using LLMs and GenAI?


LLM working Group sessions will be interactive, encouraging participants to share their experiences, pose questions, and collaboratively explore the challenges and potential of these technologies in their respective fields.

Please send in your questions ahead of time for priority consideration – you can use this Google Form to let us know what’s on your mind. We review all submitted questions but may need to shorten, consolidate, or clarify them for discussion.

We encourage everyone to participate, regardless of their experience level with LLMs and GenAI. The LLM Working Group is a welcoming and supportive community for all.

This is a hybrid event. In-person seating is limited to 35.

About the Large Language Models (LLMs) Working Group

Dive into the Future of AI with the Large Language Models (LLMs) Working Group!

Celebrating ten years of innovation in data-intensive social science, D-Lab at UC Berkeley is excited to introduce the LLM Working Group, an initiative focused on the exploration and discussion of Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT within academic research and teaching.

This group aims to unite scholars, students, and data scientists to address crucial questions about AI's role in academia, including access, impact, creativity, and learning in the age of information automation. Through a series of interactive sessions, participants will gain insights into LLM capabilities, discuss ethical considerations, and explore innovative approaches to utilizing these tools in their work.

Whether you're an AI veteran or a novice curious about the potentials of Generative AI, the LLM Working Group offers a collaborative platform to learn, share, and shape the future of academic inquiry. Join us in navigating the world of LLMs together.

Location: Hybrid in-person in the D-Lab Collaboratory, 356 Social Sciences Building (3rd floor), or join us via Zoom!

Feedback: After completing the workshop, please provide us feedback using this form

Questions? Email: dlab-frontdesk@berkeley.edu