How we built domain-adapted foundation GenAI models to power our platform

Overview

The article discusses the development of domain-adapted foundation GenAI models at LinkedIn, focusing on their application within the Economic Opportunity Network (EON) project. It highlights the innovative approaches taken to enhance AI capabilities tailored to the needs of LinkedIn's vast user base, emphasizing the importance of adapting existing models for specific use cases.

What You'll Learn

1

How to leverage domain-adapted foundation models for specific use cases in AI applications

2

Why multi-task instruction tuning enhances model performance and generalization

3

When to apply reinforcement learning techniques for model alignment and safety

Prerequisites & Requirements

  • Understanding of Generative AI and foundational language models
  • Familiarity with AI/ML frameworks and evaluation metrics(optional)

Key Questions Answered

How does LinkedIn adapt foundation models for its platform?
LinkedIn adapts foundation models through the Economic Opportunity Network (EON) project, which utilizes data from the LinkedIn Economic Graph to enhance model capabilities for specific user needs. This adaptation allows for rapid development of tailored AI experiences that improve job-candidate matching and other functionalities.
What are the key features of the EON models developed by LinkedIn?
EON models are designed to follow instructions, generalize to new tasks, and adhere to LinkedIn's Responsible AI principles. They utilize multi-task instruction tuning, reasoning traces, and reinforcement learning techniques to ensure high-quality outputs aligned with user expectations.
What performance metrics were used to evaluate the EON models?
The EON models were evaluated using standard metrics against state-of-the-art models on benchmarks like ARC, MuSR, and IFEval. Performance was also assessed in terms of cost efficiency, with the EON-8B model being significantly more cost-effective compared to GPT-4.

Key Statistics & Figures

Cost efficiency of EON-8B model
75x and 6x more cost-effective compared to GPT-4 and GPT-4o respectively
This cost efficiency was calculated based on the number of A100 GPUs needed for deployment.
Training data size
200M tokens
This diverse and high-quality dataset was used for training the EON models.

Technologies & Tools

Some links below are affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase.

Infrastructure
Kubernetes
Used for the end-to-end training pipeline of the EON models.
AI/ML Technique
Reinforcement Learning With Human Feedback (rlhf)
Employed for preference and safety alignment of the models.
Foundation Model
Llama
Base model for the EON-8B variant.

Key Actionable Insights

1
Implement multi-task instruction tuning to enhance AI model performance across various tasks.
This approach allows models to generalize better and adapt to specific user needs, which is crucial for applications requiring high accuracy and relevance.
2
Utilize domain-specific data from platforms like the LinkedIn Economic Graph to improve model outputs.
Incorporating relevant data helps tailor AI functionalities, making them more effective for targeted applications like job matching.
3
Adopt reinforcement learning techniques for aligning AI outputs with user expectations.
This can significantly enhance the safety and reliability of AI systems, ensuring they adhere to ethical standards and user trust.

Common Pitfalls

1
Failing to properly align AI outputs with user expectations can lead to trust issues.
It's crucial to implement reinforcement learning and safety alignment techniques to ensure that models generate outputs that are not only accurate but also ethical and aligned with user needs.

Related Concepts

Generative AI
Domain Adaptation In AI
Reinforcement Learning Techniques
AI Model Evaluation Metrics