Lifting the Lid on Large Language Machines

The ‘illusion’ of Large Language Machines (LLMs) was revealed to Upper Sixth Form pupils at Magdalen College School, during an insightful presentation by Queen Mary University London specialist Dr Richard Saldanha.

Richard, who is also a governor and former parent, lifted the lid on how LLMs operate – using baby name popularity data and Shakespearean prose to bring the work of these complex and increasingly popular machines to life.

He explained some common uses of LLMs, such as producing skeleton text, producing computer code and creating graphics. He argued that LLMs have value but should be used with care, and are not artificial intelligence.

At the end of his talk, Richard – who worked in the City of London for over 20 years, and is an expert in statistical machine learning and quantitative finance – responded to questions about the ethics of selecting search parameters, ‘training’ machines, correcting errors and how to avoid output containing offensive content.

The presentation was one of a series of lectures offered to Sixth Form pupils – with others including writing women’s history of the Holocaust and epidemiology of infectious diseases.

Describing the lecture as an “intellectual workout”, Rohan Edwards, Head of Politics, said: “With predictions that Large Language Machines will become part of everyday life, it is important our pupils understand the mechanics of this technology, and are well informed about the opportunities and risks it presents, so that they are equipped to use it effectively in the future. I am hugely grateful to Richard for sharing his incredible knowledge and insight with us.”