GPT-RE: In-context Learning for Relation Extraction using Large Language Models
(2305.02105)Abstract
In spite of the potential for ground-breaking achievements offered by LLMs (e.g., GPT-3), they still lag significantly behind fully-supervised baselines (e.g., fine-tuned BERT) in relation extraction (RE). This is due to the two major shortcomings of LLMs in RE: (1) low relevance regarding entity and relation in retrieved demonstrations for in-context learning; and (2) the strong inclination to wrongly classify NULL examples into other pre-defined labels. In this paper, we propose GPT-RE to bridge the gap between LLMs and fully-supervised baselines. GPT-RE successfully addresses the aforementioned issues by (1) incorporating task-specific entity representations in demonstration retrieval; and (2) enriching the demonstrations with gold label-induced reasoning logic. We evaluate GPT-RE on four widely-used RE datasets, and observe that GPT-RE achieves improvements over not only existing GPT-3 baselines, but also fully-supervised baselines. Specifically, GPT-RE achieves SOTA performances on the Semeval and SciERC datasets, and competitive performances on the TACRED and ACE05 datasets.
Overview
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The paper introduces GPT-RE, a novel method enhancing LLMs like GPT-3 for relation extraction by focusing on task-aware demonstration retrieval and gold label-induced reasoning.
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Demonstrates that GPT-RE achieves state-of-the-art results on Semeval and SciERC datasets, and competitive performances on TACRED and ACE05, surpassing existing GPT-3 baselines and fully-supervised methods.
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GPT-RE's approach addresses the limitations of in-context learning (ICL) in relation extraction by providing more relevant demonstrations and integrating reasoning logic aligned with the task's needs.
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The method offers practical implications for improving LLMs' performance in NLP tasks without extensive fine-tuning and sets a foundation for future research in integrating task-specific knowledge into ICL.
Enhancing Relation Extraction with GPT-RE: In-context Learning and Task-Aware Demonstrations
Introduction to GPT-RE for Relation Extraction
The research presents GPT-RE, a novel approach to addressing the challenges faced by LLMs such as GPT-3 in the task of relation extraction (RE). Despite LLMs' remarkable capabilities in various NLP tasks through in-context learning (ICL), their performance in RE has remained suboptimal, mainly due to issues related to the relevance of entity and relation in demonstration retrieval and the lack of a mechanism for explaining input-label mappings.
Key Innovations in GPT-RE
GPT-RE introduces two significant improvements to overcome the limitations mentioned above:
- Task-Aware Demonstration Retrieval: This method emphasizes the retrieval of demonstrations that are highly relevant to the specific entities and relations of interest, significantly enhancing the pertinence and quality of the demonstrations used for ICL.
- Gold Label-Induced Reasoning: By integrating reasoning logic that aligns with the gold label into the demonstrations, GPT-RE provides a richer context for the model, enabling a deeper understanding and more accurate generation of relation predictions.
Empirical Results
The effectiveness of GPT-RE is demonstrated through extensive evaluations on widely-used RE datasets, including Semeval, SciERC, TACRED, and ACE05. GPT-RE achieves state-of-the-art (SOTA) performances on Semeval and SciERC, and competitive results on TACRED and ACE05, outperforming both existing GPT-3 baselines and fully-supervised approaches.
Theoretical and Practical Implications
The introduction of task-aware demonstration retrieval and gold label-induced reasoning embodies a significant step forward in the application of LLMs like GPT-3 to RE. These strategies not only address the specific shortcomings of ICL in the context of RE but also provide a generalized framework that could influence future research in LLMs' application to other NLP tasks. From a practical standpoint, the ability to enhance LLMs' performance in specialized domains like RE without extensive dataset-specific fine-tuning presents an efficient pathway for developing more versatile and robust NLP systems.
Future Directions
The success of GPT-RE opens several avenues for future research, including exploration into additional mechanisms for improving the alignment between demonstrations and target tasks, and further examination of the limitations of LLMs in tasks requiring deep domain knowledge or complex reasoning. Moreover, the approach of integrating task-specific knowledge and reasoning into ICL could be adapted and extended to other areas beyond RE, potentially unlocking new capabilities in LLMs.
Conclusion
GPT-RE showcases a novel and effective approach to leveraging the strengths of LLMs in the domain of relation extraction, through innovations in demonstration retrieval and the incorporation of reasoning logic. Its successes invite further integration of task-specific knowledge into the in-context learning paradigm, promising advancements in both the theory and practice of generative AI in NLP.
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