Introduction to Current Large Language Models and Platforms

First-year course in the Master program IREF

Bordeaux School of Economics

University of Bordeaux

  • Large Language Models (LLMs) are a transformative technology in artificial intelligence (AI) that enable machines to

    • process,

    • understand,

    • translate, and

    • generate human language.

  • They are

    • based on deep learning techniques and

    • are trained on massive datasets.

  • They revolutionized the field of natural language processing (NLP) and artificial "intelligence" (AI).

  • Examples: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Llama, Mistral (Cocorico!), and many others...

  • In economics, LLMs have applications that include analyzing financial reports, forecasting economic trends, and simulating policy impacts.

This course starts with the principles and components of LLMs and then introduces the leading platforms currently available and the services they offer to students and future professionals.

Outline of the course

  1. Chapter 1: An introduction to the principles of LLMs - Slides - Audio presentation by NotebookLM.
  2. Chapter 2: Presentation of the main LLMs - Slides
  3. Principles of prompts and prompt engineering
    • Chapter 3: Talking to LLms: A prompting primer - Slides
    • Chapter 4: Prompting strategies and approaches with applications - Slides
  4. Applications in learning, research, and business

First control on machine: Thursday, Feb 20, 2025

Second control on machine: Thursday, April 3, 2025

Please come with your laptops - Instructions - Documents

References:

  • Bowen, J. A. and Watson, C. E. (2024) Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning. John Hopkins University Press.
  • Mollick, Ethan R. and Mollick, Lilach, Assigning AI: Seven Approaches for Students, with Prompts (September 23, 2023). The Wharton School Research Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4475995 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4475995

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