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How I use LLMs to learn complex topics

laurentiugabriel.github.io

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Re: How I use LLMs to learn complex topics

#221

Post by hudn33 »

8bitsout wrote: post #48

I thought LLMs were a great tool for learning new topics - perhaps even complex ones. But overtime, I have had several frustrations with this. First, I get exhausted reading LLM prose. I really don't want to read anything generated by something like Opus 5 at this point. Second, as I dive deeper, I need a way to organize the information in a useful way as I begin to branch out in many different directions. I have tri…

Same. I usually just read the book along and ask questions on a specific part, rather than trying to get the LLM to produce an entire study guide for me. It seems to work better as a Q&A than a "teach me" advisor

Re: How I use LLMs to learn complex topics

#222

Post by PaulStatezny »

cromka wrote: post #178
PaulStatezny wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes! I have a personal theory: LLMs are *fundamentally* handicapped at perceiving what's going on in the mind of the human (this can't be "innovated away") and that's at the root of what makes them suck at conversation. Next time you're chatting with someone, notice how much understanding is shared without anything being said. E.g. the other person might share something deeply disappointing, and they can tell without…

Very well observed. I found one more thing: they fail to consider what a 3rd person might understand from your conversation, so when you ask it to dump stuff into a Documentation, they keep making references to facts you had previously discussed or to the train of thought, completely irrelevant to bystander.

100% -- this is the worst. Referencing all sorts of "words with made up contextual/analogous meanings" based on the conversation...outside of the conversation.

Does anyone have a read on if this is primarily a Claude issue, or if all LLMs do this?

Re: How I use LLMs to learn complex topics

#223

Post by DrewADesign »

cromka wrote: post #196
duncangh wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah this seems to me similar to how the mortgage backed security risk concentration occurred leading up to the global financial crisis. Whereby the risk from exposure to low grade / risky single mortgages was eliminated via diversification but the diversification was simply packaging all of the risky MBS’s together and in no way diversified or de-risked the entire portfolio

I don't see it. To me it's like having e.g. 3 drunk PhDs arguing between each other to settle on truthful answers to questions.

But the problem with LLMs is that they get the facts wrong. PhDs are PhDs because they’d look it up in an authoritative source, or actually find out through research and experimentation. The whole point is that facts aren’t a matter of opinion. The only people that argue over documented, findable facts are idiots that nobody should listen to.

Re: How I use LLMs to learn complex topics

#224

Post by lfx »

muh_gradle wrote: post #214

> In plan mode (using CC, or OpenCode) I ask a model to build the foundational knowledge for X topic. Makes sense. > I ask it to review the accuracy of the knowledge base it built in the previous step. Ooookay that sounds good. > I proceed asking it to build a simulation of that topic in a low-poly, Rollercoaster Tycoon-like animation. wat.

Author likes this kind of animation. I have something similar like this, but without the animation step.

The main idea is you can do any style you want or like to learn.

Re: How I use LLMs to learn complex topics

#225

Post by bluejellybean »

8bitsout wrote: post #48

I thought LLMs were a great tool for learning new topics - perhaps even complex ones. But overtime, I have had several frustrations with this. First, I get exhausted reading LLM prose. I really don't want to read anything generated by something like Opus 5 at this point. Second, as I dive deeper, I need a way to organize the information in a useful way as I begin to branch out in many different directions. I have tri…

This feels like the weirdest complaint to me. Just tell it to shorten its response.

Literally saying "one sentence response" solves most of this problem.

Re: How I use LLMs to learn complex topics

#227

Post by avilay »

8bitsout wrote: post #48

I thought LLMs were a great tool for learning new topics - perhaps even complex ones. But overtime, I have had several frustrations with this. First, I get exhausted reading LLM prose. I really don't want to read anything generated by something like Opus 5 at this point. Second, as I dive deeper, I need a way to organize the information in a useful way as I begin to branch out in many different directions. I have tri…

I have had very similar experience! I wanted to learn Probablistic ML, checked out a couple of MOOCs, but didn't find any that were at my level - some were too advanced, some too beginner level. Claude was unable to one-shot a course, so I am now asking it to generate it module by module. But even here, it is not doing a very good job. I muddle through the concepts that it has written, do a whole bunch of back-and-forth, which tbh is exhausting, and then rewrite everything in my words so it actually makes sense to another human being.

> I get exhausted reading LLM prose

So much this! If I see one more sentence with the words "genuinely" juxtaposed with "load bearing" my head is going to explode!

btw, I am building the tutorial here for anybody interested in this topic: https://github.com/avilay/learn-probml

Re: How I use LLMs to learn complex topics

#228

Post by lfx »

therepanic wrote: post #218
eterm wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're amazing at it, provided you keep asking the right questions. Trust me when I say that in the hands of someone who doesn't have your experience, the LLMs would not be getting the results you get. You might think what you're doing is trivial, it may be sessions that flow roughly, "Instrument this, okay this part is slow, profile this part, OK read the profile output and suggest a better approach". But your expe…

So what should newcomers do who haven't yet gained enough expertise to ask LLMs the right questions?

Newcomers have to do exactly the same what they did years and years ago. Practice the craft and gain experience by doing things.

And the craft is loose term, it can mean anything you like to get better at.

Re: How I use LLMs to learn complex topics

#230

Post by QwenGlazer9000 »

8bitsout wrote: post #48

I thought LLMs were a great tool for learning new topics - perhaps even complex ones. But overtime, I have had several frustrations with this. First, I get exhausted reading LLM prose. I really don't want to read anything generated by something like Opus 5 at this point. Second, as I dive deeper, I need a way to organize the information in a useful way as I begin to branch out in many different directions. I have tri…

I have the exact same experience, so reassuring to know I'm not the only person who feels this way.

I will say, opus 5 is an egregiously bad case of this, but other LLMs have this too, just less bad.

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