Find out how LLMs can solve challenging mathematical problems, such as discovering the rules governing complex system behaviour.
Speaker
Derek M Jones
Agenda
6:00pm - Networking in BCS London over refreshments
6:30pm - Presentation begins, questions and answers either ad hoc or at the end
8:00pm - Networking in BCS London (pizza & refreshments)
8:45pm - Everyone off the premises - adjourn to The Old Doctor Butler's Head to continue discussions
Synopsis
The emergent behaviour of software processes can sometimes be described by an equation - for instance, the distribution of waiting times of tasks in a priority queue is a power law. However, deriving an equation from a specification of process behaviour requires a degree of mathematical skill that few people possess and can take many weeks of work. LLMs are capable of solving challenging mathematical problems.
Model building with an LLM is an iterative process, involving under-specified problems, dead-ends, incorrect maths and unlikely-looking solutions - but it can lead to valuable insights and predictive systems of equations.
This talk discusses the speaker's experience of using LLMs to derive equations for software processes, e.g. expected time to next reported fault, and the number of statement sequences possible using N if-statements. Suggestions for dealing with the strengths and weaknesses of LLMs will be given.
About the speaker
Derek M Jones used to write compilers that translated what developers wrote, then moved into static analysis to try and work out what they intended to write, and now does evidence-based research in software engineering.
His book Evidence-based Software Engineering discusses what is currently known about software engineering, based on an analysis of all the publicly available data. pdf, code and all data freely available online.
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This event is brought to you by: Software Practice Advancement (SPA) SG
