Understanding the Benefits and Drawbacks of ChatGPT and AI

Large language models break from the mental models of software we’re used to. For decades we worked with deterministic programs that explicitly follow directions. Language models are probabilistic — exciting when you want imaginative creation, alarming when you need facts.

A seminar on both halves of that: where the models came from, what they are genuinely good at, and the failure modes worth understanding before you depend on one.