Preface

There’s lots of buzz around large language models and generative AI. I was looking for resources to ramp up in the space, and found plenty, covering everything from the fundamentals of transformer architecture to high-level prompt templates, and everything in-between. I couldn’t find a book dedicated to applied generative AI: how to integrate large language models in software solutions and the new patterns and best practices for intelligence-backed systems. I decided to write one.

This book aims to help you get up to speed – how to use large language models, what prompt engineering is about, how to connect models with other software systems etc. All aspects of taking a pre-trained model and leveraging it to its full capabilities.

Working on Microsoft Loop, I’m privileged to have a front row seat for the adoption of large language models, design of Copilot across Microsoft products, and the bleeding edge of AI-powered scenarios. The world is changing.

I strongly believe that this is the future of software engineering and the fundamentals covered in this book will soon be required knowledge for everyone in the field. I hope you enjoy the content.

Acknowledgements

I want to thank my wife, Diana, and daughter, Ada, for their support – writing a book takes months of work and would be impossible without my family having my back.

Many thanks to Ransom Richardson and Igor Dvorkin for reviewing the first drafts of various chapters and providing valuable feedback. This book is better due to your input. Igor, thanks for geeking out with me on the AI topic during our many conversations while I was writing this book.

I learned a lot from my colleagues in Modern Collab – thanks to Ed Fischer and the Loop Copilot team, thanks to my boss Sugandha Kapoor for her support, and to our leader Igor Zaika. I am very grateful to be at Microsoft, surrounded by so many amazing people – way too many to list here, but thanks to all of you!

And thank you, dear reader, for picking up my book!