Unit 4: Alignment and current research

Published

February 9, 2026

In this unit, you will learn more about the alignment stage of LLM training. You will also see several examples of current research in this and related areas. The unit features both lecture-style reviews of recent developments and videos from research presentations.

Lectures

The lectures start by exploring LLMs alignment. You will then learn about current research on how LLMs store facts, efficient fine-tuning techniques, retrieval-augmented generation, and how tokenisation relates to LLM privacy and security. The series concludes by reflecting on the “stochastic parrots” debate.

Section Title Video Slides Quiz
4.1 LLM alignment video slides quiz
4.2 LLMs for fact completion video slides quiz
4.3 Efficient fine-tuning video paper quiz
4.4 Retrieval-augmented generation (until 17:50) video none quiz
4.5 Adversarial tokenization video slides quiz
4.6 LLMs as stochastic parrots (until 15:00) video none quiz
ImportantQuiz deadline

To earn a wildcard for this unit, you must complete the quizzes before the teaching session on Unit 4.

Lab

TBA