What is a pre-training?
The initial training of a model on a large dataset.
pre-training explained in plain English
The initial training of a model on a large dataset. Some pre-trained models are clumsy giants and must typically be refined through additional training. For example, ML experts might pre-train a large language model on a vast text dataset, such as all the English pages in Wikipedia. Following pre-training, the resulting model might be further refined through any of the following techniques: - distillation - fine-tuning - instruction tuning - parameter-efficient tuning - prompt-tuning
Example
Practitioners refer to pre-training when building, training, or evaluating machine learning systems. It appears in research papers, product documentation, and technical discussions about AI capabilities and limitations.
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