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Compound AI Systems and DSPy

· 2 min read

Key Challenges with Monolithic LMs

  • Hard to control, debug, and improve.
  • Every AI system makes mistakes.
  • Modular systems (Compound AI) address these challenges.

Compound AI Systems

  • Modular programs use LMs as specialized components.
  • Examples:
    • Retrieval-Augmented Generation.
    • Multi-Hop Retrieval-Augmented Generation.
    • Compositional Report Generation.
  • Benefits:
    • Quality: Reliable LM composition.
    • Control: Iterative improvement via tools.
    • Transparency: Debugging and user-facing attribution.
    • Efficiency: Use smaller LMs and offload control flow.
    • Inference-time Scaling: Search for better outputs.

Anatomy of LM Programs in DSPy

  • Modules:

    • Define strategies for tasks.
    • Example: MultiHop uses Chain of Thought and retrieval.
  • Program Components:

    • Signature: Task definition.
    • Adapter: Maps input/output to prompts.
    • Predictor: Applies inference strategies.
    • Metrics: Define objectives and constraints.
    • Optimizer: Refines instructions for desired behavior.

DSPy Optimization Methods

  1. Bootstrap Few-shot:

    • Generate examples using rejection sampling.
  2. Extending OPRO:

    • Optimize instructions through prompting.
  3. MIPRO:

    • Jointly optimize instructions and few-shot examples using Bayesian learning.

Key Benefits of DSPy

  • Simplifies programming for LMs.
  • Optimized prompts for accuracy and efficiency.
  • Enables modularity and scalability in AI systems.

Lessons and Research Directions

  1. Natural Language Programming:
    • Programs are more accurate, controllable, and transparent.
    • High-level optimizers bootstrap prompts and instructions.
  2. Natural Language Optimization:
    • Effective grounding and credit assignment are crucial.
    • Optimizing both instructions and demonstrations enhances performance.
  3. Future Directions:
    • Focus on modularity, better inference strategies, and optimized LM usage.

Summary

  • Compound AI Systems make LMs modular and reliable.
  • DSPy provides tools to build, optimize, and deploy modular AI systems.
  • Emphasizes modularity and systematic optimization for AI progress.