A Beginner's Guide to Using Large Language Models (LLMs) With the PaLM API

Are you looking for a way to write a personalized cover letter that will help you land your dream job? If so, you may be interested in using a large language model (LLM) with the PaLM API to create a cover letter builder.

Large language models (LLMs) are artificial intelligence (AI) that can generate text, translate languages, write different creative text formats, and answer your questions informally. They are so powerful that they can even be used to create new tools and applications.

One such tool is the PaLM API, which allows developers to access and use LLMs.

This guide will show you how to use the PaLM API (Pre-trained and Large-scale Language Model API) to create a cover letter builder. This tool can help you generate personalized cover letters for job applications.

What Is an LLM?

Large language models (LLMs) are advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems trained on massive text datasets. This helps them learn how words and phrases fit together, allowing them to generate understandable and correct sentences.

LLMs are a type of generative AI, which means they can create new content.

LLMs are typically built using a type of neural network called a transformer. Transformers can learn long-range dependencies between words, essential for understanding and generating natural language. Transformer models comprise multiple layers, each of which performs a different task.

For example, the self-attention layer allows the model to learn the relationships between different words in a sentence.

An example of an LLM is GPT-3, created by OpenAI. GPT-3 has learned from lots of text and code. It can write, translate languages, make creative content, and answer questions in a friendly way.

LLMs are super powerful and could change how we use computers. As they get better, they could help us in many ways:

• Virtual Assistants: LLMs might become smart assistants that understand and talk to us like people. This could make using devices much easier. For example, an LLM could power a virtual assistant to help you book appointments, make reservations, or control your smart home devices.

• Education: LLMs could make learning personal for students. They could also grade essays and give students advice. For example, an LLM could be used to create a personalized reading list for a student or to provide feedback on a student's essay.

• Healthcare: LLMs could read medical records and find possible health problems. They could even help make new treatments. For example, an LLM could be used to identify patients at risk for developing a certain disease or to develop a new drug treatment.

• Financial Services: LLMs could advise customers and detect fraudulent transactions. For example, an LLM could help customers choose the right investment portfolio or detect fraudulent credit card transactions.

How Does a Large Language Model Work?

An LLM works by first learning the statistical relationships between words and phrases in a language. This is done by training the model on a massive dataset of text and code. Once the model has learned these relationships, it can generate new text similar to the text it was trained on.

1. The LLM is trained on a massive dataset of text and code. This dataset includes anything from books and articles to code repositories and social media posts.

   
   

2. The LLM learns the statistical relationships between words and phrases in the dataset. This means that it learns which words are more likely to appear together and how the meaning of a sentence can change depending on the order of the words.

   
   

3. Once the LLM has learned these relationships, it can generate new text. To do this, it starts with a seed text, such as a few words or a sentence. Then, it uses the statistical relationships it has learned to predict the next word in the sentence. It continues to do this until it has generated a new sentence.

Here is an example of how an LLM might generate text:

`Seed text: "The cat sat on the mat."

LLM prediction: "The cat sat on the mat and stared at the bird."`

In this example, the LLM has learned that the words "cat" and "sat" are often followed by the word "on.” It has also learned that "mat" is often followed by "and.” Based on these relationships, the LLM predicts that the next word in the sentence is "and.”

It then continues to predict the next word, "stared.”

Here is a diagram that illustrates how an LLM works:

The LLM is made up of a neural network. The neural network is a complex mathematical model that can learn to recognize patterns in data. In the case of an LLM, the neural network learns to recognize the statistical relationships between words and phrases.

The neural network is trained on a massive dataset of text and code. The dataset is fed into the neural network one word at a time. The neural network then tries to predict the next word in the sequence.

The accuracy of the predictions is measured, and the neural network is updated to improve its accuracy.

This process is repeated many times until the neural network has learned to accurately predict the next word in the sequence.

What Are Large Language Models Used For?

• Text generation: LLMs can generate text, such as poems, code, scripts, musical pieces, emails, letters, etc. For example, the LLM called Bard can generate different creative text formats. It will try its best to fulfill all your requirements.

• Translation: LLMs can translate text from one language to another. For example, Google Translate LLM can translate text from English to French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese, and many other languages.

• Question answering: LLMs can answer questions about various topics, even if they are open-ended, challenging, or strange. For example, the LaMDA LLM can answer questions about the weather, history, or current events.

• Summarization: LLMs can summarize long pieces of text, such as news articles or research papers. For example, the LLM called BARD can summarize a research paper in a few sentences.

• Code generation: LLMs can generate Python, Java, or C++ code. For example, the GitHub Copilot LLM can generate correct and efficient code.

Creative writing: LLMs can generate creative text, such as poems, short stories, or scripts. For example, the LLM called GPT-3 can be used to generate original and creative poems.

Getting Started With the PaLM API

The PaLM API (Pathways Language Model API) is a cloud-based API that allows developers to access Google's PaLM 2 large language model (LLM). PaLM 2 is a powerful LLM that can be used for a variety of tasks, including:

• Text generation: The PaLM API can generate text in many ways. You can use Text or Chat services. The Text service can generate text for many purposes, like summarizing text, writing creative content, and helpfully answering your questions. The Chat service can generate text for chatbots and other conversation apps.

  
  

• Programming languages: The PaLM API supports Node.js, Python, Android Kotlin, Swift, and Java. In this tutorial, you will use the Node.js Text example.

  
  

• Documentation: The PaLM API is open source, making it available to anyone to use and improve. It is also well-documented, so it is easy for developers to learn how to use it.

  
  

To get started with the PaLM API, you will need the following steps:

1: Create a Google Cloud Platform account.

You can do this by visiting the Google Cloud Platform website: https://cloud.google.com/.

2: Get an API key. To use the API, you need an API key. Once you're through the waitlist, you can create a key with one click in MakerSuite. via this link https://makersuite.google.com/waitlist

3: Install the PaLM API client library. The PaLM API client library is a code set you can use to interact with the PaLM API. You can install it by running the following command:

npm init -y
npm install google-auth-library

Next, install the Generative Language client library:

npm install @google-ai/generativelanguage

4: Importing Required Modules

const { TextServiceClient } =
  require("@google-ai/generativelanguage").v1beta2;

const { GoogleAuth } = require("google-auth-library");

In this step, the code imports necessary modules using the require function. It imports the TextServiceClient class from the @google-ai/generativelanguage library and the GoogleAuth class from the google-auth-library.

5: Setting Up Constants

const MODEL_NAME = "models/text-bison-001";
const API_KEY = process.env.API_KEY;

Here, the code sets up two constants: MODEL_NAME, which specifies the name of the text generation model you want to use, and API_KEY, which retrieves the API key from the environment variables.

6: Creating a TextServiceClient Instance

const client = new TextServiceClient({
  authClient: new GoogleAuth().fromAPIKey(API_KEY),
});

This step creates an instance of the TextServiceClient class. It initializes the client with authentication using the GoogleAuth class, which is instantiated with the API key obtained from the environment variables.

7: Defining the Prompt

const prompt = "Write a simple and short cover letter for a technical writer";

Here, the code defines a variable called prompt which holds the initial text that will be used as input for text generation.

8: Generating Text

client
  .generateText({
    model: MODEL_NAME,
    prompt: {
      text: prompt,
    },
  })
  .then((result) => {
    console.log(JSON.stringify(result));
  });

In this step, the code uses the client instance to generate text. It calls the generateText method on the client instance. It passes an object with the model name (MODEL_NAME) and the prompt text (prompt) as properties.

The generateText method returns a Promise handled using the then method. The generated result is logged to the console inside the block after being converted to a JSON string.

Then run the script:

node index.js

You will get a result similar to this:

[{"candidates":[{"safetyRatings":[{"category":"HARM_CATEGORY_DEROGATORY","probability":"NEGLIGIBLE"},{"category":"HARM_CATEGORY_TOXICITY","probability":"NEGLIGIBLE"},{"category":"HARM_CATEGORY_VIOLENCE","probability":"NEGLIGIBLE"},{"category":"HARM_CATEGORY_SEXUAL","probability":"NEGLIGIBLE"},{"category":"HARM_CATEGORY_MEDICAL","probability":"NEGLIGIBLE"},{"category":"HARM_CATEGORY_DANGEROUS","probability":"NEGLIGIBLE"}],"output":"Dear [Hiring Manager name],\n\nI am writing to express my interest in the Technical Writer position at [Company name]. I have been working as a technical writer for the past five years, and I have a proven track record of success in developing and delivering clear, concise, and engaging technical documentation.\n\nIn my previous role at [Previous company name], I was responsible for writing a wide range of technical documentation, including user guides, API documentation, and training materials. I have a strong understanding of the technical writing process, and I am proficient in a variety of writing and editing tools.\n\nI am also an excellent communicator, and I am able to effectively translate complex technical information into language that is easy for both technical and non-technical audiences to understand. I am confident that I have the skills and experience that you are looking for in a Technical Writer.\n\nI am eager to learn more about the Technical Writer position at [Company name], and I am confident that I would be a valuable asset to your team. I am available for an interview at your earliest convenience.\n\nThank you for your time and consideration.\n\nSincerely,\n[Your name]","citationMetadata":{"citationSources":[{"startIndex":1068,"_startIndex":"startIndex","endIndex":1196,"_endIndex":"endIndex","uri":"https://www.upwork.com/resources/cover-letter-tips","_uri":"uri","license":"","_license":"license"}]},"_citationMetadata":"citationMetadata"}],"filters":[],"safetyFeedback":[]},null,null]

In conclusion, this tutorial has introduced you to the basics of using large language models (LLMs) with the PaLM API. You have learned how to:

• Understand the potential of LLMs and the PaLM API
• Create a customized cover letter generator using the PaLM API
• Leverage LLMs to generate text, translate languages, and answer questions
• Integrate the PaLM API with Node.js and the client library

This is just the beginning of what you can do with LLMs and APIs. As you continue to explore these technologies, you will discover even more ways to use them to solve problems, create new experiences, and shape the future.