The adaptability of fine-tuned LLMs in responding to prompts that contain new types of information not covered in the training data

Hello TonyAIChamp,

Thank you for your response. I understand your point about how a fine-tuned model reacts to new information similarly to a non-fine-tuned one, unless it’s specifically tuned to respond to new types of information in a certain way.

However, I need clarification on your statement: “Fine-tuning just adds another layer of ‘neurons’ to the model.” From my understanding, a neural network comprises layers and neurons, including input, hidden, and one output layer. Your answer suggests that we slightly tweak and change the weights. But when you mention “adding another layer,” does this really imply the actual addition of new layers including neurons?

Could you elaborate on what happens to the output layer during this process? I would greatly appreciate it if you could provide academic papers or sources that offer a deeper understanding of what occurs during the fine-tuning of ChatGPT.

A detailed, scholarly explanation in my thesis is essential. I am truly thankful for your response, as it guides me on areas where I need to delve deeper. I’ve already searched the forum and found this thread, but it doesn’t quite satisfy the academic depth I am seeking.

Best regards,
Volkan