JuniorDevSG - Code & Tell May 2025

Event Date: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Venue: PayPal Singapore
5 TEMASEK BOULEVARD
#09-01
SUNTEC TOWER FIVE
SINGAPORE (038985)
NO FOOD PROVIDED FOR THIS MEETUP
Venue Sponsor: PayPal Singapore
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Presentations

Topic: A LLM is not Always an Expert: How and When to Train LLMs with My Company Data

Speakers:
Francesco Gelli, Machine Learning Scientist
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesco-gelli-40014b84/

Description
Large Language Models (LLMs) have demonstrated surprising capabilities in solving a variety of general tasks, including answering complex questions, conducting extensive research, coding, and automating intricate processes.

However, the direct application of LLMs to many real-world use cases is often limited by their lack of company-specific knowledge. For example, even the most advanced LLMs today cannot match the deep expertise of investigators at PayPal, who possess detailed knowledge of complex policies and SOPs for Anti-Money Laundering and other compliance-related areas.
Building on the limitations of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), we will explore and try out some of the fundamental approaches for training LLMs, including continuous pre-training, supervised fine-tuning, and reinforcement learning.

About Francesco
Francesco Gelli is a Machine Learning Scientist at PayPal Global Analytics and Data Science in Singapore, where he supports the company’s enterprise priorities in the domains of Compliance and Privacy through the application of advanced AI and machine learning techniques.

Francesco earned his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Computer Science from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and later joined PayPal, where he continuously develops innovative solutions that enhance data-driven decision-making and ensure the security and privacy of users.

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**Topic: Intro to DevsGoWhere
Speaker: Shi Ling Tai

We are launching a new website where we can discover events for engineers in Singapore!

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Schedule:
7:00 to 7:15 - Event Registration & Networking
7:15 to 7:20 - Introductory Remarks
7:30 to 8:00 - Topic 1
8:00 to 8:30 - Topic 2
9:00 - Supper

About JuniorDev SG:
JuniorDev SG is a developer interest group that focuses on providing a place for junior developers to learn and network with each other.
At the same time, we seek to be a support system to help junior developers break into tech, navigate their careers as well growing them to one day become senior developers or tech leaders in the tech industry.