Maximum Tokens

Whats the Maximum Tokens?

The “Max Tokens” parameter is a constraint used when generating text with language models like GPT-3.5, which controls the maximum length or size of the generated text in terms of tokens. Tokens can be as short as one character or as long as one word in English, but the length of a token can vary depending on the language.

Here’s a detailed explanation of the “Max Tokens” parameter with examples:

What are Tokens:

• In natural language processing (NLP), text is typically broken down into smaller units called tokens. Tokens can represent words, subwords, or characters, depending on the language and tokenization method used.
• For example, in the English language, the sentence “ChatGPT is great!” can be tokenized into five tokens: [“Chat”, “G”, “PT”, ” is”, ” great!”].

Purpose of Max Tokens:

• Max Tokens is a parameter that allows you to limit the length of the generated text. It’s useful when you want to ensure that the output does not exceed a certain length, especially when dealing with character limits on websites or platforms.
• By setting Max Tokens, you can control the verbosity of the model’s responses and prevent overly long or verbose outputs.

Examples of Using Max Tokens:

• Example 1: Generating a Short Summary
  • Suppose you want a brief summary of a book:
  • Input: “Please summarize ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee.”
  • Max Tokens: 50
  • Output: “In ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, Scout Finch learns about racism in her small town.”

• Example 2: Generating a Tweet
  • You want to generate a tweet-like response:
  • Input: “Tell me about your favorite vacation destination.”
  • Max Tokens: 280 (maximum tweet length)
  • Output: “I love Bali! 🌴🏖️ #TravelGoals”

• Example 3: Limiting Output Length
  • Suppose you have a platform where responses must not exceed a certain length:
  • Input: “Provide an overview of quantum mechanics.”
  • Max Tokens: 150
  • Output: “Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics that deals with the behavior of subatomic particles, including electrons and photons. It has important applications in quantum computing and cryptography.”

• Example 4: Preventing Overly Verbose Responses
  • To prevent overly verbose responses:
  • Input: “Explain the concept of artificial intelligence in simple terms.”
  • Max Tokens: 50
  • Output: “Artificial intelligence, or AI, is about machines doing tasks that typically require human intelligence.”

Considerations:

• When setting Max Tokens, you should balance the need for brevity with the requirement for completeness. If Max Tokens is set too low, the generated output may be cut off abruptly, leading to incomplete or nonsensical responses.

In summary, the Max Tokens parameter is a useful tool for controlling the length of generated text and ensuring that it adheres to specific length constraints. It helps manage the verbosity of responses and makes the model’s output more suitable for various applications, from short summaries to constrained platforms.