UPSC Previous Year Question | Prelims GS | 2026

Which of the following statements with regard to Large Language Models (LLMs) used in machine learning is/are correct? 1. LLMs assign probabilities to the next possible words and then pick the one with the highest probability. 2. LLMs process data through mathematical optimization to minimise prediction errors. 3. LLMs produce unbiased outputs. Select the answer using the code given below:

  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 2 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3

Answer

Correct Answer

1 and 2 only

Explanation

LLMs are trained to predict the probability distribution of the next token based on preceding context, making statement 1 broadly correct in the context of the question. Their training involves mathematical optimization of model parameters to minimise a loss or prediction error, making statement 2 correct. LLMs can reproduce biases present in their training data, model design or prompting and therefore cannot be assumed to produce unbiased outputs. Statement 3 is incorrect.

Topics: artificial intelligence, large language models, machine learning, science and technology