Here’s an outline of some of the most widely available and used large language models (LLMs) as of now:
1. OpenAI’s GPT Models #
- GPT-3 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3)
- Released: June 2020
- Key Features:
- 175 billion parameters
- Known for high-quality text generation and a broad understanding of natural language.
- Used in applications like chatbots, writing assistants, and code generation.
- Availability: Accessible via OpenAI’s API.
- GPT-4
- Released: March 2023
- Key Features:
- More refined and capable than GPT-3, with enhanced ability to understand and generate text.
- Known for multimodal capabilities (text and image input).
- Availability: Available through OpenAI API (premium access via subscription or enterprise plans).
2. Google DeepMind’s Bard & PaLM Models #
- Bard
- Released: February 2023
- Key Features:
- Focused on conversational AI, similar to GPT-3 and GPT-4.
- Part of Google’s effort to integrate LLMs into search and assistive technology.
- Availability: Available through Google Search and Bard’s own interface.
- PaLM (Pathways Language Model)
- Released: 2022
- Key Features:
- Up to 540 billion parameters in its largest version (PaLM 2).
- Supports multiple languages, tasks, and reasoning abilities.
- Used in a variety of Google products, such as Assistant, Translate, and Search.
- Availability: Part of Google Cloud AI offerings, sometimes integrated in Google’s consumer-facing tools.
3. Anthropic’s Claude #
- Claude 1, 2, & 3
- Released: March 2023 (Claude 1), July 2023 (Claude 2), and March 2024 (Claude 3).
- Key Features:
- Anthropic focuses on creating models that prioritize safety and ethical concerns in AI.
- Aims for transparency, fairness, and user control in conversational AI.
- Known for being highly conversational with less likelihood of generating harmful content.
- Availability: Accessible through Anthropic’s API and selected partnerships.
4. Meta’s LLaMA (Large Language Model Meta AI) #
- LLaMA 2
- Released: July 2023
- Key Features:
- Open-source, with variants ranging from 7B to 70B parameters.
- Focuses on research and enabling academic, commercial, and nonprofit organizations to use high-performing LLMs.
- Availability: Available on platforms like Hugging Face and through Meta’s own deployment for research and integration.
5. Cohere’s Language Models #
- Command R
- Released: 2023
- Key Features:
- Specializes in retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) tasks—combining information retrieval with text generation.
- Optimized for large-scale, enterprise-level applications, particularly in search and data mining.
- Availability: Available via Cohere’s API for developers and businesses.
6. Mistral’s Open-Weight Models #
- Mistral 7B
- Released: September 2023
- Key Features:
- Open-weight model with 7 billion parameters, offering flexibility in how the model is used and customized.
- Known for its efficiency and high performance despite being smaller in size compared to other LLMs.
- Availability: Available for download and use under an open-source license, providing flexibility for developers.
7. EleutherAI’s GPT-Neo and GPT-J #
- GPT-Neo
- Released: 2021
- Key Features:
- Open-source alternative to GPT-3, with models ranging from 1.3B to 2.7B parameters.
- Designed to enable researchers and developers to experiment with powerful language models without relying on commercial APIs.
- Availability: Available on platforms like Hugging Face, as well as through direct downloads for local use.
- GPT-J
- Released: 2021
- Key Features:
- A 6B parameter model that is also open-source.
- Provides high-quality text generation, similar to GPT-3, but with a smaller model size.
- Availability: Open-source, and hosted on platforms like Hugging Face for public use.
8. Open-Source Alternatives #
- BigScience
- Released: 2022 (model called “BLOOM”)
- Key Features:
- 176 billion parameter model that was trained using a massive global collaboration.
- Open-source, making it accessible for research, academic, and non-commercial applications.
- Availability: Hosted by Hugging Face, with open access to download and fine-tune.
- RedPajama
- Released: 2023
- Key Features:
- An open-source initiative with models trained on publicly available datasets, focused on large-scale text generation.
- Availability: Accessible via Hugging Face and other platforms.
Summary: #
These models represent the most widely used LLMs across different domains, from general-purpose language generation (like OpenAI’s GPT series) to specialized tasks like code generation, safety-first AI (Claude), and open-source alternatives (EleutherAI’s GPT-Neo). Many are available via API, allowing for commercial use, while others like LLaMA and RedPajama provide open-source access for researchers and developers to fine-tune and deploy in their own environments.
