Is Training Data Quality or Quantity More Impactful to Small Language Model Performance?

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Sajith, Aryan, Kathala, Krishna Chaitanya Rao
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Sajith, Aryan
Kathala, Krishna Chaitanya Rao
author_facet Sajith, Aryan
Kathala, Krishna Chaitanya Rao
contents This study investigates the relative impact of training data quality versus quantity on the performance of small language models (SLMs), utilizing the TinyStories dataset for empirical analysis. Analysis of dataset variations with respect to size (25% and 50% of the original size) and duplication (controlled rates of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) were performed. Model performance was evaluated based on the validation loss, accuracy, and perplexity metrics. Results indicate training data quality plays a more significant role in the overall performance of SLMs, especially given scale of this experiment. Minimal duplication positively impacted model accuracy (+0.87% increase in accuracy at 25% duplication) without significantly increasing perplexity (+0.52% increase going from 0% to 25% duplication) but excessive duplication led to pronounced performance degradation (-40% drop in accuracy at 100% duplication). The implications of this exploration extend beyond just model performance; training large-scale models imposes significant financial and computational burdens, which can be prohibitive for organizations, individuals, and the public at large, especially in developing countries. Additionally, the energy consumption associated with large-scale training raises environmental concerns. Understanding the relative importance of data quality versus quantity could democratize AI technology, making advanced models more accessible and sustainable for all.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_15821
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Is Training Data Quality or Quantity More Impactful to Small Language Model Performance?
Sajith, Aryan
Kathala, Krishna Chaitanya Rao
Computation and Language
Artificial Intelligence
Machine Learning
This study investigates the relative impact of training data quality versus quantity on the performance of small language models (SLMs), utilizing the TinyStories dataset for empirical analysis. Analysis of dataset variations with respect to size (25% and 50% of the original size) and duplication (controlled rates of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) were performed. Model performance was evaluated based on the validation loss, accuracy, and perplexity metrics. Results indicate training data quality plays a more significant role in the overall performance of SLMs, especially given scale of this experiment. Minimal duplication positively impacted model accuracy (+0.87% increase in accuracy at 25% duplication) without significantly increasing perplexity (+0.52% increase going from 0% to 25% duplication) but excessive duplication led to pronounced performance degradation (-40% drop in accuracy at 100% duplication). The implications of this exploration extend beyond just model performance; training large-scale models imposes significant financial and computational burdens, which can be prohibitive for organizations, individuals, and the public at large, especially in developing countries. Additionally, the energy consumption associated with large-scale training raises environmental concerns. Understanding the relative importance of data quality versus quantity could democratize AI technology, making advanced models more accessible and sustainable for all.
title Is Training Data Quality or Quantity More Impactful to Small Language Model Performance?
topic Computation and Language
Artificial Intelligence
Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.15821