Intelligent Tech Channels Issue 88 | Page 58

EXPERT SPEAK
How channel partners can become strategic advisors in enterprise AI
Channel partners can advance opportunities in LLM right-sizing by providing strategy consulting. Services can include identifying suitable use cases, selecting optimal models, fine-tuning with proprietary data, and providing deployment support.
By following a structured roadmap, investing in expertise, and aligning with strategic AI practices, channel partners can guide enterprise customers in cost-effective LLM solutions. This positions them as trusted advisors and paves the way for growth in enterprise AI.
By integrating right-sizing into their offerings through AI-readiness assessments, data preparation guidance, prompt engineering, and model performance monitoring, channel partners can deliver continuous support.
This ensures enterprise customers stay updated on advancements and adapt strategies accordingly. Several roadblocks hinder effective rightsizing.
• Limited understanding of model architecture, difficulty assessing model suitability for specific tasks, and a lack of tools for domain-specific evaluations.
• Preparing quality training data is complex and resource-intensive, and many enterprises lack infrastructure and expertise.
• Fine-tuning requires specialised knowledge, and data privacy concerns can deter cloud-based deployments.
• Even deploying moderate sized models requires significant computational resources.
• Monitoring LLM output and mitigating distortion also pose challenges.
cleaning, preprocessing, and understanding the implications of data privacy regulations.
# 3 Evaluate LLM options and sizes
A structured framework for evaluating a range of LLM models is necessary. This should include large, general-purpose models and smaller, domain-specific micro LLMs, and open-source and proprietary options. The evaluation criteria should encompass model capabilities, performance benchmarks relevant to the identified use cases, the cost of usage and deployment, and the associated infrastructure requirements. Platforms like BytePlus ModelArk can provide valuable insights into the impact of model size on performance and efficiency.
# 4 Implement right-sizing
Channel partners can leverage various techniques to adapt LLMs to specific tasks and potentially reduce the need for
The concept of rightsizing LLMs is paramount for enterprises aiming to leverage this technology effectively. excessively large models. Effective prompt engineering can guide model output with carefully crafted instructions. Implementing retrieval-augmented generation can ground LLM responses with relevant information from external knowledge sources, improving accuracy and reducing hallucinations.
Targeted fine-tuning on domain-specific datasets can further optimise model
performance for specific applications. A recommended approach is to begin with larger models for initial proof-of-concept and then progressively explore smaller models while optimising prompts and utilising techniques like few-shot learning to maintain performance.
# 5 Prioritise security, privacy, ethics
Implementing robust security measures to protect sensitive enterprise data throughout the LLM life cycle is vital. This includes secure data handling practices, access controls, and ensuring compliance with relevant data privacy regulations. Addressing potential biases in LLM outputs is also a crucial ethical consideration.
# 6 Adopt pilot projects and iterations
Start with focused pilot projects to test feasibility and effectiveness of LLM solutions for specific use cases before undertaking broader deployments is a prudent strategy. Continuous monitoring of model performance, gathering user feedback, and iteratively refining the
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