Ali Haider Shalwani

Large language models (LLMs) have revolutionized the field of natural language processing (NLP), enabling machines to generate human-quality text, translate languages, and answer questions in an informative way. These advancements have opened up a world of possibilities for applications in various domains, from customer service to education.  

Want to build a custom llm application? Check out our in-person Large Language Model bootcamp. 

However, mastering LLMs requires a comprehensive understanding of their underlying principles, architectures, and training techniques. 

 

 

 

This 7-step guide will provide you with a structured approach to mastering LLMs: 

Step 1: Understand LLM basics 

Before diving into the complexities of LLMs, it’s crucial to establish a solid foundation in the fundamental concepts. This includes understanding the following: 

• Natural Language Processing (NLP): NLP is the field of computer science that deals with the interaction between computers and human language. It encompasses tasks like machine translation, text summarization, and sentiment analysis. 

 

Read more about attention mechanisms in natural language processing

 

• Deep Learning: LLMs are powered by deep learning, a subfield of machine learning that utilizes artificial neural networks to learn from data. Familiarize yourself with the concepts of neural networks, such as neurons, layers, and activation functions. 

• Transformer: The transformer architecture is a cornerstone of modern LLMs. Understand the components of the transformer architecture, including self-attention, encoder-decoder architecture, and positional encoding. 

 

 

Step 2: Explore LLM architectures 

LLMs come in various architectures, each with its strengths and limitations. Explore different LLM architectures, such as: 

• BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers): BERT is a widely used LLM that excels in natural language understanding tasks, such as question answering and sentiment analysis. 

• GPT (Generative Pre-training Transformer): GPT is known for its ability to generate human-quality text, making it suitable for tasks like creative writing and chatbots. 

• XLNet (Generalized Autoregressive Pre-training for Language Understanding): XLNet is an extension of BERT that addresses some of its limitations, such as its bidirectional nature. 

 

 

Step 3: Pre-training LLMs 

Pre-training is a crucial step in the development of LLMs. It involves training the LLM on a massive dataset of text and code to learn general language patterns and representations. Explore different pre-training techniques, such as: 

• Masked Language Modeling (MLM): In MLM, random words are masked in the input text, and the LLM is tasked with predicting the missing words. 

• Next Sentence Prediction (NSP): In NSP, the LLM is given two sentences and asked to determine whether they are consecutive sentences from a text or not. 

• Contrastive Language-Image Pre-training (CLIP): CLIP involves training the LLM to match text descriptions with their corresponding images. 

 

Step 4: Fine-tuning LLMs 

Fine-tuning involves adapting a pre-trained LLM to a specific task or domain. This is done by training the LLM on a smaller dataset of task-specific data. Explore different fine-tuning techniques, such as:

• Task-specific loss functions: Define loss functions that align with the specific task, such as accuracy for classification tasks or BLEU score for translation tasks. 

• Data augmentation: Augment the task-specific dataset to improve the LLM’s generalization ability. 

• Early stopping: Implement early stopping to prevent overfitting and optimize the LLM’s performance. 

 

This talk below can help you get started with fine-tuning GPT 3.5 Turbo. 

 

 

 

Step 5: Alignment and post-training 

Alignment and post-training are essential steps to ensure that LLMs are aligned with human values and ethical considerations. This includes: 

• Bias mitigation: Identify and mitigate biases in the LLM’s training data and outputs. 

• Fairness evaluation: Evaluate the fairness of the LLM’s decisions and identify potential discriminatory patterns. 

• Explainability: Develop methods to explain the LLM’s reasoning and decision-making processes. 

 

Step 6: Evaluating LLMs 

Evaluating LLMs is crucial to assess their performance and identify areas for improvement. Explore different evaluation metrics, such as: 

• Accuracy: Measure the proportion of correct predictions for classification tasks. 

• Fluency: Assess the naturalness and coherence of the LLM’s generated text. 

• Relevance: Evaluate the relevance of the LLM’s outputs to the given prompts or questions. 

 

Read more about: Evaluating large language models

 

Step 7: Build LLM apps 

With a strong understanding of LLMs, you can start building applications that leverage their capabilities. Explore different application scenarios, such as:

• Chatbots: Develop chatbots that can engage in natural conversations with users. 

• Content creation: Utilize LLMs to generate creative content, such as poems, scripts, or musical pieces. 

• Machine translation: Build machine translation systems that can accurately translate languages. 

 

 

Start learning large language models

Mastering large language models (LLMs) is an ongoing journey that requires continuous learning and exploration. By following these seven steps, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of LLMs, their underlying principles, and the techniques involved in their development and application.  

As LLMs continue to evolve, stay informed about the latest advancements and contribute to the responsible and ethical development of these powerful tools. Here’s a list of YouTube channels that can help you stay updated in the world of large language models.

GPT-3.5 and other large language models (LLMs) have transformed natural language processing (NLP). Trained on massive datasets, LLMs can generate text that is both coherent and relevant to the context, making them invaluable for a wide range of applications. 

Learning about LLMs is essential in today’s fast-changing technological landscape. These models are at the forefront of AI and NLP research, and understanding their capabilities and limitations can empower people in diverse fields. 

This blog lists steps and several tutorials that can help you get started with large language models. From understanding large language models to building your own ChatGPT, this roadmap covers it all. 

Want to build your own ChatGPT? Checkout our in-person Large Language Model Bootcamp. 

 

Step 1: Understand the real-world applications 

Building a large language model application on custom data can help improve your business in a number of ways. This means that LLMs can be tailored to your specific needs. For example, you could train a custom LLM on your customer data to improve your customer service experience.  

The talk below will give an overview of different real-world applications of large language models and how these models can assist with different routine or business activities. 

 

 

 

Step 2: Introduction to fundamentals and architectures of LLM applications 

Applications like Bard, ChatGPT, Midjourney, and DallE have entered some applications like content generation and summarization. However, there are inherent challenges for a lot of tasks that require a deeper understanding of trade-offs like latency, accuracy, and consistency of responses.

Any serious applications of LLMs require an understanding of nuances in how LLMs work, including embeddings, vector databases, retrieval augmented generation (RAG), orchestration frameworks, and more. 

This talk will introduce you to the fundamentals of large language models and their emerging architectures. This video is perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about Large Language Models and how to use LLMs to build real-world applications. 

 

 

 

Step 3: Understanding vector similarity search 

Traditional keyword-based methods have limitations, leaving us searching for a better way to improve search. But what if we could use deep learning to revolutionize search?

 

 

Imagine representing data as vectors, where the distance between vectors reflects similarity, and using Vector Similarity Search algorithms to search billions of vectors in milliseconds. It’s the future of search, and it can transform text, multimedia, images, recommendations, and more.  

The challenge of searching today is indexing billions of entries, which makes it vital to learn about vector similarity search. This talk below will help you learn how to incorporate vector search and vector databases into your own applications to harness deep learning insights at scale.  

 

 

Step 4: Explore the power of embedding with vector search 

 The total amount of digital data generated worldwide is increasing at a rapid rate. Simultaneously, approximately 80% (and growing) of this newly generated data is unstructured data—data that does not conform to a table- or object-based model.

Examples of unstructured data include text, images, protein structures, geospatial information, and IoT data streams. Despite this, the vast majority of companies and organizations do not have a way of storing and analyzing these increasingly large quantities of unstructured data.  

 

 

Embeddings—high-dimensional, dense vectors that represent the semantic content of unstructured data can remedy this issue. This makes it significant to learn about embeddings.  

 

The talk below will provide a high-level overview of embeddings, discuss best practices around embedding generation and usage, build two systems (semantic text search and reverse image search), and see how we can put our application into production using Milvus.  

 

 

Step 5: Discover the key challenges in building LLM applications 

As enterprises move beyond ChatGPT, Bard, and ‘demo applications’ of large language models, product leaders and engineers are running into challenges. The magical experience we observe on content generation and summarization tasks using ChatGPT is not replicated on custom LLM applications built on enterprise data. 

Enterprise LLM applications are easy to imagine and build a demo out of, but somewhat challenging to turn into a business application. The complexity of datasets, training costs, cost of token usage, response latency, context limit, fragility of prompts, and repeatability are some of the problems faced during product development. 

Delve deeper into these challenges with the below talk: 

 

Step 6: Building Your Own ChatGPT 

 

Learn how to build your own ChatGPT or a custom large language model using different AI platforms like Llama Index, LangChain, and more. Here are a few talks that can help you to get started:  

Build Agents Simply with OpenAI and LangChain 

Build Your Own ChatGPT with Redis and Langchain 

Build a Custom ChatGPT with Llama Index 

 

Step 7: Learn about Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)  

Learn the common design patterns for LLM applications, especially the Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) framework; What is RAG and how it works, how to use vector databases and knowledge graphs to enhance LLM performance, and how to prioritize and implement LLM applications in your business.  

The discussion below will not only inspire organizational leaders to reimagine their data strategies in the face of LLMs and generative AI but also empower technical architects and engineers with practical insights and methodologies. 

 

 

Step 8: Understanding AI observability  

AI observability is the ability to monitor and understand the behavior of AI systems. It is essential for responsible AI, as it helps to ensure that AI systems are safe, reliable, and aligned with human values.  

The talk below will discuss the importance of AI observability for responsible AI and offer fresh insights for technical architects, engineers, and organizational leaders seeking to leverage Large Language Model applications and generative AI through AI observability.  

> 

 

Step 9: Prevent large language models hallucination  

It important to evaluate user interactions to monitor prompts and responses, configure acceptable limits to indicate things like malicious prompts, toxic responses, llm hallucinations, and jailbreak attempts, and set up monitors and alerts to help prevent undesirable behaviour. Tools like WhyLabs and Hugging Face play a vital role here.  

The talk below will use Hugging Face + LangKit to effectively monitor Machine Learning and LLMs like GPT from OpenAI. This session will equip you with the knowledge and skills to use LangKit with Hugging Face models. 

 

 

 

Step 10: Learn to fine-tune LLMs 

Fine-tuning GPT-3.5 Turbo allows you to customize the model to your specific use case, improving performance on specialized tasks, achieving top-tier performance, enhancing steerability, and ensuring consistent output formatting. It important to understand what fine-tuning is, why it’s important for GPT-3.5 Turbo, how to fine-tune GPT-3.5 Turbo for specific use cases, and some of the best practices for fine-tuning GPT-3.5 Turbo.  

Whether you’re a data scientist, machine learning engineer, or business user, this talk below will teach you everything you need to know about fine-tuning GPT-3.5 Turbo to achieve your goals and using a fine tuned GPT3.5 Turbo model to solve a real-world problem. 

 

 

 

 

Step 11: Become ChatGPT prompting expert 

Learn advanced ChatGPT prompting techniques essential to upgrading your prompt engineering experience. Use ChatGPT prompts in all formats, from freeform to structured, to get the most out of large language models. Explore the latest research on prompting and discover advanced techniques like chain-of-thought, tree-of-thought, and skeleton prompts. 

Explore scientific principles of research for data-driven prompt design and master prompt engineering to create effective prompts in all formats.

 

 

 

Step 12: Master LLMs for more 

Large Language Models assist with a number of tasks like analysing the data while creating engaging and informative data visualizations and narratives or to easily create and customize AI-powered PowerPoint presentations.  

Start mastering LLMs for tasks that can ease up your business activities.  

To learn more about large language models, checkout this playlist; from tutorials to crash courses, it is your one-stop learning spot for LLMs and Generative AI.  

Generative AI is a branch of artificial intelligence that focuses on the creation of new content, such as text, images, music, and code. This is done by training machine learning models on large datasets of existing content, which the model then uses to generate new and original content. 

 

Want to build a custom large language model? Check out our in-person LLM bootcamp. 

Popular Python libraries for Generative AI

 

 

Python is a popular programming language for generative AI, as it has a wide range of libraries and frameworks available. Here are 10 of the top Python libraries for generative AI: 

 1. TensorFlow:

TensorFlow is a popular open-source machine learning library that can be used for a variety of tasks, including generative AI. TensorFlow provides a wide range of tools and resources for building and training generative models, such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and recurrent neural networks (RNNs).

TensorFlow can be used to train and deploy a variety of generative models, including: 

• Generative adversarial networks (GANs) 
• Variational autoencoders (VAEs) 
• Transformer-based text generation models 
• Diffusion models 

TensorFlow is a good choice for generative AI because it is flexible and powerful, and it has a large community of users and contributors. 

 

2. PyTorch:

PyTorch is another popular open-source machine learning library that is well-suited for generative AI. PyTorch is known for its flexibility and ease of use, making it a good choice for beginners and experienced users alike. 

PyTorch can be used to train and deploy a variety of generative models, including: 

• Conditional GANs 
• Autoregressive models 
• Diffusion models 

PyTorch is a good choice for generative AI because it is easy to use and has a large community of users and contributors. 

 

 

3. Transformers:

Transformers is a Python library that provides a unified API for training and deploying transformer models. Transformers are a type of neural network architecture that is particularly well-suited for natural language processing tasks, such as text generation and translation.

Transformers can be used to train and deploy a variety of generative models, including: 

• Transformer-based text generation models, such as GPT-3 and LaMDA 

Transformers is a good choice for generative AI because it is easy to use and provides a unified API for training and deploying transformer models. 

 

4. Diffusers:

Diffusers is a Python library for diffusion models, which are a type of generative model that can be used to generate images, audio, and other types of data. Diffusers provides a variety of pre-trained diffusion models and tools for training and fine-tuning your own models.

Diffusers can be used to train and deploy a variety of generative models, including: 

• Diffusion models for image generation 
• Diffusion models for audio generation 

• Diffusion models for other types of data generation 

 

Diffusers is a good choice for generative AI because it is easy to use and provides a variety of pre-trained diffusion models. 

 

 

5. Jax:

Jax is a high-performance numerical computation library for Python with a focus on machine learning and deep learning research. It is developed by Google AI and has been used to achieve state-of-the-art results in a variety of machine learning tasks, including generative AI. Jax has a number of advantages for generative AI, including:

• Performance: Jax is highly optimized for performance, making it ideal for training large and complex generative models. 
• Flexibility: Jax is a general-purpose numerical computing library, which gives it a great deal of flexibility for implementing different types of generative models. 
• Ecosystem: Jax has a growing ecosystem of tools and libraries for machine learning and deep learning, which can be useful for developing and deploying generative AI applications. 

Here are some examples of how Jax can be used for generative AI: 

• Training generative adversarial networks (GANs) 
• Training diffusion models 
• Training transformer-based text generation models 
• Training other types of generative models, such as variational autoencoders (VAEs) and reinforcement learning-based generative models 

 

Get started with Python, checkout our instructor-led live Python for Data Science training.  

 

6. LangChain: 

LangChain is a Python library for chaining multiple generative models together. This can be useful for creating more complex and sophisticated generative applications, such as text-to-image generation or image-to-text generation.

LangChain is a good choice for generative AI because it makes it easy to chain multiple generative models together to create more complex and sophisticated applications.  

 

7. LlamaIndex:

LlamaIndex is a Python library for ingesting and managing private data for machine learning models. LlamaIndex can be used to store and manage your training datasets and trained models in a secure and efficient way.

 

LlamaIndex is a good choice for generative AI because it makes it easy to store and manage your training datasets and trained models in a secure and efficient way. 

 

8. Weight and biases:

Weight and Biases (W&B) is a platform that helps machine learning teams track, monitor, and analyze their experiments. W&B provides a variety of tools and resources for tracking and monitoring your generative AI experiments, such as:

• Experiment tracking: W&B makes it easy to track your experiments and see how your models are performing over time. 
• Model monitoring: W&B monitors your models in production and alerts you to any problems. 
• Experiment analysis: W&B provides a variety of tools for analyzing your experiments and identifying areas for improvement. 

 

9. Acme:

Acme is a reinforcement learning library for TensorFlow. Acme can be used to train and deploy reinforcement learning-based generative models, such as GANs and policy gradients.

Acme provides a variety of tools and resources for training and deploying reinforcement learning-based generative models, such as: 

• Reinforcement learning algorithms: Acme provides a variety of reinforcement learning algorithms, such as Q-learning, policy gradients, and actor-critic. 
• Environments: Acme provides a variety of environments for training and deploying reinforcement learning-based generative models. 
• Model deployment: Acme provides tools for deploying reinforcement learning-based generative models to production. 

 

 Python libraries help in building generative AI applications

These libraries can be used to build a wide variety of generative AI applications, such as:

• Chatbots: Chatbots can be used to provide customer support, answer questions, and engage in conversations with users.
• Content generation: Generative AI can be used to generate different types of content, such as blog posts, articles, and even books.
• Code generation: Generative AI can be used to generate code, such as Python, Java, and C++.
• Image generation: Generative AI can be used to generate images, such as realistic photos and creative artwork.

Generative AI is a rapidly evolving field, and new Python libraries are being developed all the time. The libraries listed above are just a few of the most popular and well-established options.

This blog lists several YouTube channels that can help you get started with llms, generative AI, prompt engineering, and more. 

 Large language models, like GPT-3.5, have revolutionized the field of natural language processing. These models, trained on massive datasets, can generate coherent and contextually relevant text, making them invaluable across numerous applications. 

These YouTube videos will help you learn large language models

Learning about them has become increasingly important in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape. These models are at the forefront of advancements in artificial intelligence and natural language processing. Understanding their capabilities and limitations empowers individuals and professionals across various fields. 

 

Top YouTube channels to learn large language models  

 

Want to delve deeper into large language models? 

 

  

 

 

 

Databricks

From the basics of foundation models to fundamental concepts, you can find a ton of useful tutorials and talks that can help you get started with LLMS. Learn about fine-tuning, deployment, and other related concepts with this channel.

Link to channel

 

 

Data Science Dojo

Want to get started with the basics of large language model basics? Want to fine-tune your LLM application? Want to build your own ChatGPT? If so, then hop on to this channel now because it covers a number of tutorials, master classes, and free crash courses pertaining to large language models.

 

 

Learn about Llama Index, LangChain, Redis, Retrieval Augmented Generation, AI observability, and more with this channel. Subscribe now and start learning.  

Link to channel

AssemblyAI

Learn about Llama index, vector databases and LangChain, explore how to build your own coding assistant with ChatGPT, and apply large language models to audio data with AssemblyAI. This channel offers plentiful learning tutorials within the domain of large language models.

Link to channel  

  

FreeCodeCamp

FreeCodeCamp offers a wide range of tutorials, including how to build large language models with Python, prompt engineering for web developers, a LangChain course, and more. This channel can help you to get started with the basics.

Link to channel

  

Mathew Berman

From artificial intelligence to generative art, this channel sheds light on several significant areas including AI art, ChatGPT, large language Models, machine learning, technology, and coding. Subscribe now and start learning.

 Link to channel

  

 

IBM Technology

This channel includes several talks and tutorials pertaining to machine learning and generative AI. From useful tutorials like building a Chabot with AI to insightful talks like the rise of generative AI, this channel can help you navigate your learning path.

Link to channel

 

  

  

Yannic Kilcher

Talks to short tutorials, this channel offers a number of resources to learn about large language models, llama 2, ReST for language modeling, retentive networks, and more that can assist you in building your LLM knowledge base.

Link to channel  

 

  

 

Nicholas Renotte

Nicholas shares practical ways to get started with data science, machine learning, and deep learning using a bunch of different tools but mainly Python and Javascript. The channel includes many useful talks like breaking down the generative AI stack, building an AutoGPT, and using Llama 2 70B to rebuild GPT Banker.

  Link to channel

 

Eve on Tech

Eye on Tech focuses on the latest business technology and IT topics, including AI, DevOps, security, networking, cloud, storage, and more. This channel covers a number of useful talks like the introduction to foundation models, AI buzzwords, conversational AI versus generative AI, and more that can help you get started with the basics.

Link to channel  

  

 

Start learning large language models today!

Large language models (LLMs) are a type of artificial intelligence (AI) model that can generate and understand text. They are trained on massive datasets of text and code, which allows them to learn the statistical relationships between words and phrases.

The field of LLMs is rapidly growing, and new models are being developed all the time. In recent years, there have been a number of breakthroughs in LLM technology, including: 

• The development of new training algorithms that allow LLMs to be trained on much larger datasets than ever before. 
• The development of new hardware architectures that can support the training and inference of LLMs more efficiently. 
• The release of open-source LLM models, which has made LLMs more accessible to researchers and developers. 

As a result of these advances, LLMs are becoming increasingly powerful and capable. By understanding LLMs, you can position yourself to take advantage of the opportunities that they create. 

 

In the realm of data science, understanding probability distributions is crucial. They provide a mathematical framework for modeling and analyzing data.  

 

Understand the applications of probability in data science with this blog.  

Explore probability distributions in data science with practical applications

This blog explores nine important data science distributions and their practical applications. 

 

1. Normal distribution

The normal distribution, characterized by its bell-shaped curve, is prevalent in various natural phenomena. For instance, IQ scores in a population tend to follow a normal distribution. This allows psychologists and educators to understand the distribution of intelligence levels and make informed decisions regarding education programs and interventions.  

Heights of adult males in a given population often exhibit a normal distribution. In such a scenario, most men tend to cluster around the average height, with fewer individuals being exceptionally tall or short. This means that the majority fall within one standard deviation of the mean, while a smaller percentage deviates further from the average. 

 

2. Bernoulli distribution

The Bernoulli distribution models a random variable with two possible outcomes: success or failure. Consider a scenario where a coin is tossed. Here, the outcome can be either a head (success) or a tail (failure). This distribution finds application in various fields, including quality control, where it’s used to assess whether a product meets a specific quality standard. 

When flipping a fair coin, the outcome of each flip can be modeled using a Bernoulli distribution. This distribution is aptly suited as it accounts for only two possible results – heads or tails. The probability of success (getting a head) is 0.5, making it a fundamental model for simple binary events. 

 

 

3. Binomial distribution

The binomial distribution describes the number of successes in a fixed number of Bernoulli trials. Imagine conducting 10 coin flips and counting the number of heads. This scenario follows a binomial distribution. In practice, this distribution is used in fields like manufacturing, where it helps in estimating the probability of defects in a batch of products. 

Imagine a basketball player with a 70% free throw success rate. If this player attempts 10 free throws, the number of successful shots follows a binomial distribution. This distribution allows us to calculate the probability of making a specific number of successful shots out of the total attempts. 

 

4. Poisson distribution

The Poisson distribution models the number of events occurring in a fixed interval of time or space, assuming a constant rate. For example, in a call center, the number of calls received in an hour can often be modeled using a Poisson distribution. This information is crucial for optimizing staffing levels to meet customer demands efficiently. 

In the context of a call center, the number of incoming calls over a given period can often be modeled using a Poisson distribution. This distribution is applicable when events occur randomly and are relatively rare, like calls to a hotline or requests for customer service during specific hours. 

 

5. Exponential distribution

The exponential distribution represents the time until a continuous, random event occurs. In the context of reliability engineering, this distribution is employed to model the lifespan of a device or system before it fails. This information aids in maintenance planning and ensuring uninterrupted operation. 

The time intervals between successive earthquakes in a certain region can be accurately modeled by an exponential distribution. This is especially true when these events occur randomly over time, but the probability of them happening in a particular time frame is constant. 

 

6. Gamma distribution

The gamma distribution extends the concept of the exponential distribution to model the sum of k independent exponential random variables. This distribution is used in various domains, including queuing theory, where it helps in understanding waiting times in systems with multiple stages. 

Consider a scenario where customers arrive at a service point following a Poisson process, and the time it takes to serve them follows an exponential distribution. In this case, the total waiting time for a certain number of customers can be accurately described using a gamma distribution. This is particularly relevant for modeling queues and wait times in various service industries. 

 

7. Beta distribution

The beta distribution is a continuous probability distribution bound between 0 and 1. It’s widely used in Bayesian statistics to model probabilities and proportions. In marketing, for instance, it can be applied to optimize conversion rates on a website, allowing businesses to make data-driven decisions to enhance user experience. 

In the realm of A/B testing, the conversion rate of users interacting with two different versions of a webpage or product is often modeled using a beta distribution. This distribution allows analysts to estimate the uncertainty associated with conversion rates and make informed decisions regarding which version to implement. 

 

8. Uniform distribution

In a uniform distribution, all outcomes have an equal probability of occurring. A classic example is rolling a fair six-sided die. In simulations and games, the uniform distribution is used to model random events where each outcome is equally likely. 

When rolling a fair six-sided die, each outcome (1 through 6) has an equal probability of occurring. This characteristic makes it a prime example of a discrete uniform distribution, where each possible outcome has the same likelihood of happening. 

 

9. Log normal distribution

The log normal distribution describes a random variable whose logarithm is normally distributed. In finance, this distribution is applied to model the prices of financial assets, such as stocks. Understanding the log normal distribution is crucial for making informed investment decisions. 

The distribution of wealth among individuals in an economy often follows a log-normal distribution. This means that when the logarithm of wealth is considered, the resulting values tend to cluster around a central point, reflecting the skewed nature of wealth distribution in many societies. 

 

Get started with your data science learning journey with our instructor-led live bootcamp. Explore now.  

 

Learn probability distributions today! 

Understanding these distributions and their applications empowers data scientists to make informed decisions and build accurate models. Remember, the choice of distribution greatly impacts the interpretation of results, so it’s a critical aspect of data analysis. 

Delve deeper into probability with this short tutorial 

 

 

 

Plots in data science play a pivotal role in unraveling complex insights from data. They serve as a bridge between raw numbers and actionable insights, aiding in the understanding and interpretation of datasets. Learn about 33 tools to visualize data with this blog 

In this blog post, we will delve into some of the most important plots and concepts that are indispensable for any data scientist. 

 

1. KS Plot (Kolmogorov-Smirnov Plot):

The KS Plot is a powerful tool for comparing two probability distributions. It measures the maximum vertical distance between the cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) of two datasets. This plot is particularly useful for tasks like hypothesis testing, anomaly detection, and model evaluation.

Suppose you are a data scientist working for an e-commerce company. You want to compare the distribution of purchase amounts for two different marketing campaigns. By using a KS Plot, you can visually assess if there’s a significant difference in the distributions. This insight can guide future marketing strategies.

2. SHAP Plot:

SHAP plots offer an in-depth understanding of the importance of features in a predictive model. They provide a comprehensive view of how each feature contributes to the model’s output for a specific prediction. SHAP values help answer questions like, “Which features influence the prediction the most?”

Imagine you’re working on a loan approval model for a bank. You use a SHAP plot to explain to stakeholders why a certain applicant’s loan was approved or denied. The plot highlights the contribution of each feature (e.g., credit score, income) in the decision, providing transparency and aiding in compliance.

3. QQ plot:

The QQ plot is a visual tool for comparing two probability distributions. It plots the quantiles of the two distributions against each other, helping to assess whether they follow the same distribution. This is especially valuable in identifying deviations from normality.

In a medical study, you want to check if a new drug’s effect on blood pressure follows a normal distribution. Using a QQ Plot, you compare the observed distribution of blood pressure readings post-treatment with an expected normal distribution. This helps in assessing the drug’s effectiveness. 

 

4. Cumulative explained variance plot:

In the context of Principal Component Analysis (PCA), this plot showcases the cumulative proportion of variance explained by each principal component. It aids in understanding how many principal components are required to retain a certain percentage of the total variance in the dataset.

Let’s say you’re working on a face recognition system using PCA. The cumulative explained variance plot helps you decide how many principal components to retain to achieve a desired level of image reconstruction accuracy while minimizing computational resources. 

Explore, analyze, and visualize data using Power BI Desktop to make data-driven business decisions. Check out our Introduction to Power BI cohort. 

5. Gini Impurity vs. Entropy:

These plots are critical in the field of decision trees and ensemble learning. They depict the impurity measures at different decision points. Gini impurity is faster to compute, while entropy provides a more balanced split. The choice between the two depends on the specific use case.

Suppose you’re building a decision tree to classify customer feedback as positive or negative. By comparing Gini impurity and entropy at different decision nodes, you can decide which impurity measure leads to a more effective splitting strategy for creating meaningful leaf nodes.

6. Bias-Variance tradeoff:

Understanding the tradeoff between bias and variance is fundamental in machine learning. This concept is often visualized as a curve, showing how the total error of a model is influenced by its bias and variance. Striking the right balance is crucial for building models that generalize well.

Imagine you’re training a model to predict housing prices. If you choose a complex model (e.g., deep neural network) with many parameters, it might overfit the training data (high variance). On the other hand, if you choose a simple model (e.g., linear regression), it might underfit (high bias). Understanding this tradeoff helps in model selection. 

7. ROC curve:

The ROC curve is a staple in binary classification tasks. It illustrates the tradeoff between the true positive rate (sensitivity) and false positive rate (1 – specificity) for different threshold values. The area under the ROC curve (AUC-ROC) quantifies the model’s performance.

In a medical context, you’re developing a model to detect a rare disease. The ROC curve helps you choose an appropriate threshold for classifying individuals as positive or negative for the disease. This decision is crucial as false positives and false negatives can have significant consequences. 

Want to get started with data science? Check out our instructor-led live Data Science Bootcamp.  

8. Precision-Recall curve:

Especially useful when dealing with imbalanced datasets, the precision-recall curve showcases the tradeoff between precision and recall for different threshold values. It provides insights into a model’s performance, particularly in scenarios where false positives are costly.

Let’s say you’re working on a fraud detection system for a bank. In this scenario, correctly identifying fraudulent transactions (high recall) is more critical than minimizing false alarms (low precision). A precision-recall curve helps you find the right balance.

9. Elbow curve:

In unsupervised learning, particularly clustering, the elbow curve aids in determining the optimal number of clusters for a dataset. It plots the variance explained as a function of the number of clusters. The “elbow point” is a good indicator of the ideal cluster count.

You’re tasked with clustering customer data for a marketing campaign. By using an elbow curve, you can determine the optimal number of customer segments. This insight informs personalized marketing strategies and improves customer engagement. 

 

Improvise your models today with plots in data science! 

These plots in data science are the backbone of your data. Incorporating them into your analytical toolkit will empower you to extract meaningful insights, build robust models, and make informed decisions from your data. Remember, visualizations are not just pretty pictures; they are powerful tools for understanding the underlying stories within your data. 

 

Check out this crash course in data visualization, it will help you gain great insights so that you become a data visualization pro: