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21This entry examines the role of LLMs in political communication research, tracing their development, key concepts, and discussing opportunities and challenges. LLMs can reduce costs while improving accuracy compared to traditional methods of content analysis. Generative LLMs (gLLMs), such as those developed by OpenAI, have pushed the boundaries of text understanding and generation. Besides these advancements, significant concerns remain regarding biases, reproducibility, and ethical considerations. Addressing these challenges is crucial for harnessing the potential of LLMs.">
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79This entry examines the role of LLMs in political communication research, tracing their development, key concepts, and discussing opportunities and challenges. LLMs can reduce costs while improving accuracy compared to traditional methods of content analysis. Generative LLMs (gLLMs), such as those developed by OpenAI, have pushed the boundaries of text understanding and generation. Besides these advancements, significant concerns remain regarding biases, reproducibility, and ethical considerations. Addressing these challenges is crucial for harnessing the potential of LLMs."><meta property="og:image" content="https://johannesbgruber.eu/img/large-language-models.png">
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241    <h1 itemprop="name">Large Language Models</h1>
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244      Johannes B. Gruber, Fabio Votta
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298    <h3>Abstract</h3>
299    <p class="pub-abstract" itemprop="text">Large Language Models (LLMs) represent a significant advancement for the field of political communication. Their capabilities for the study of language vastly surpass previous approaches, enabling a wider and more generalized array of applications. The introduction of models like BERT revolutionized political communication research by enhancing the accuracy of text classification tasks. However, it was the release of ChatGPT that captured widespread public attention, establishing LLMs as a cornerstone of artificial intelligence in public perception.
300This entry examines the role of LLMs in political communication research, tracing their development, key concepts, and discussing opportunities and challenges. LLMs can reduce costs while improving accuracy compared to traditional methods of content analysis. Generative LLMs (gLLMs), such as those developed by OpenAI, have pushed the boundaries of text understanding and generation. Besides these advancements, significant concerns remain regarding biases, reproducibility, and ethical considerations. Addressing these challenges is crucial for harnessing the potential of LLMs.</p>
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309          <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-9">Nai, A., Grömping, M., &amp; Wirz, D. (Eds). Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Communication. Edward Elgar Publishing. Accepted ver

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323            September, 2024
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365<a  class="btn btn-warning btn-outline btn-xs" href="https://johannesbgruber.eu/publication/2024-09-06-large-language-models/" >status: accepted</a>
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381<p><a href="https://www.favstats.eu/">Fabio</a> and I were asked to write up a short explainer of large language models (LLMs) in Political Communication for the <em>Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Communication</em>.
382While brief, I think this piece contains many important points about the potentials for progress, but also harm, in communication research.
383The encyclopedia will come out in 2025, by which time there will be many new developments in the field of LLMs, I assume.
384But I also believe that the main features in terms of advantages and pitfalls will not dramatically change.</p>
385<p>If you want to cite this (and please do!), please use this bibliographical reference:</p>
386<p>Gruber, J.B. &amp; Votta F. (2025). Large Language Models. In Nai, A., Grömping, M., &amp; Wirz, D. (Eds). Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Communication. Edward Elgar Publishing. Accepted version.</p>
387<pre class="bibtex"><code>@InCollection{gruber2025,
388  author    = {Gruber, J.B. and Votta, F.},
389  title     = {Large Language Models},
390  booktitle = {Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Communication},
391  editor    = {Nai, A. and Grömping, M. and Wirz, D.},
392  publisher = {Edward Elgar Publishing},
393  year      = {2025},
394  note      = {Accepted version},
395}</code></pre>
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