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Taming LLMs

A Practical Guide to LLM Pitfalls with Open Source Software

Abstract: The current discourse around Large Language Models (LLMs) tends to focus heavily on their capabilities while glossing over fundamental challenges. Conversely, this book takes a critical look at the key limitations and implementation pitfalls that engineers and technical leaders encounter when building LLM-powered applications. Through practical Python examples and proven open source solutions, it provides an introductory yet comprehensive guide for navigating these challenges. The focus is on concrete problems with reproducible code examples and battle-tested open source tools. By understanding these pitfalls upfront, readers will be better equipped to build products that harness the power of LLMs while sidestepping their inherent limitations.

Preface

About the Book

Chapter 1: The Evals Gap

Chapter 2: Structured Output

Chapter 3: Managing Input Data

Chapter 4: Safety

Chapter 5: Preference-Based Alignment

Chapter 6: Local LLMs in Practice

Chapter 7: The Falling Cost Paradox

Chapter 8: Frontiers

Appendix A: Tools and Resources

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

@misc{tharsistpsouza2024tamingllms,
  author = {Tharsis T. P. Souza},
  title = {Taming LLMs: A Practical Guide to LLM Pitfalls with Open Source Software},
  year = {2024},
  journal = {GitHub repository},
  url = {https://github.com/souzatharsis/tamingLLMs)
}