Learning without training: The implicit dynamics of in-context learning

arXiv — cs.LGThursday, December 18, 2025 at 5:00:00 AM
  • Large Language Models (LLMs) exhibit the ability to learn in-context during inference without requiring additional weight updates, a phenomenon that remains largely unexplained. Recent research highlights how the stacking of a self-attention layer with a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) allows transformer blocks to implicitly adjust MLP weights based on context, facilitating this learning process.
  • This development is significant as it enhances the understanding of LLMs' capabilities, potentially leading to more efficient models that can adapt to new information dynamically, which is crucial for applications in natural language processing and beyond.
  • The implications of this research extend to ongoing discussions about the balance between learning and memorization in LLMs, as well as concerns regarding safety and alignment in AI systems. As LLMs are increasingly deployed across various domains, understanding their learning mechanisms is vital for addressing issues related to privacy, safety, and the reliability of AI-generated outputs.
— via World Pulse Now AI Editorial System

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