Fine-Tuning Techniques for LLMs

Fine-tuning techniques can be grouped along a few axes: what you optimize (full weights vs. small additions), what signal you train on (labels, instructions, preferences, rewards), and how the data is generated (human, synthetic, AI-judged). Full Fine-Tuning (FFT) Update every parameter in the model on a target dataset. Highest capacity, but expensive in memory and prone to catastrophic forgetting. Mostly reserved for smaller models or when you have lots of high-quality data and compute. ...

April 25, 2026 · 4 min