Explaining LLMs to family members - came up with this analogy:

Think of it as a smart robot friend that is always ready to chat with you.

It has read tons of books, articles, and online content - and can recall relevant info instantly.

When you ask questions, it uses this knowledge to give you its best possible answer.

It can create new things based on the knowledge, so don't hesitate to give creative challenges.

LLMs process language well and understand how words fit together, so they're great writers.

Unlike friends in real live, their personality is flexible. You can guide their tone and style the way you like. It's great to start your prompts with whom you like them to imitate and what you want answers to look like.

They don't have real feelings like you and me. Don't be afraid to give candid feedback and ask for better answers. Clear, specific instructions are your secret weapon.

LLMs work hard to answer you, but sometimes they make stuff up to meet your requests. In AI land, this is called "hallucination". To be a good friend yourself, challenge their responses and fact-check when needed.

LLMs can help with everything from research to coding, data analysis, creative writing, image generation, and language translation. The sky's the limit!

Use your robot friend wisely and responsibly.

LLMs here to assist, not replace human thinking and creativity.