Classify With Confidence

Large foundation models like GPT can classify text according to a well-crafted prompt instruction, and it’s remarkable how well they can do this, considering there has been no explicit training with labeled datasets. This has traditionally been done using machine learning models and logistic regression techniques. However, with generative model classification, we lose the ‘confidence level’ or the probability score of the prediction available in logistic regression. Traditional models like logistic regression provide a probability score for each class, indicating the model’s confidence level in its predictions. This confidence score is not just valuable; it’s essential for decision-making, as it helps users gauge how confident the model is about its classifications. While generative model responses may align well with the intended classification, we don’t directly get an explicit probability for each class. This can be a limitation, particularly in high-stakes applications where knowing the model’s confidence level is crucial. ...

November 2, 2024 · 10 min · Michael OShea