Crafting AI applications using PyTorch Lightning
In this book, you will see how we can build various types of AI models effortlessly and efficiently using PyTorch Lightning. With hands-on examples that have industry-wide applications and practical benefits, you will get trained not just in PyTorch Lightning but in the whole gamut of different DL families.
Image recognition models
We will begin our journey by creating our first DL model in the form of an image recognition model in Chapter 2, Getting off the Ground with the First Deep Learning Model. Image recognition is the quintessential identity of a DL framework and, by using PyTorch Lightning, we will see how to build an image classification model using CNN..
Transfer learning
DL models are notorious for requiring training over a huge number of epochs before they can converge, thereby consuming tremendous amounts of GPU compute power in the process. In Chapter 3, Transfer Learning Using Pre-Trained Models, you will learn a technique known as Transfer learning (TL), which makes it possible to get good results without much hard work, by transferring knowledge from large pre-trained architectures like ResNet-50 for image classification or BERT for text classification..
NLP Transformer models
We will also look at Natural Language Processing (NLP) models and see how DL can make text classification possible over gargantuan amounts of text data. You will learn how the famous pre-trained NLP models, including Transformer, can be used in Chapter 3, Transfer Learning Using Pre-Trained Models, and adapt to your business needs effortlessly.
Lightning Flash
The creation of DL models also involves a process of fairly complex feature engineering pipelines with equally tedious training and optimization steps. Most data scientists start their journey by adopting SOTA models that have won Kaggle competitions or influential research papers. In Chapter 4, Ready-to-Cook Models from Lightning Flash, you will learn how an out-of-the-box utility such as Lightning Flash improves productivity by providing a repository of standard network architecturesfor standard tasks like object detection or classification for text, audio or video. We will build the model for video classification and automatic speech detection for audio files in a jiffy.
Time series models with LSTM
Forecasting and predicting the next event in a time series is an evergreen challenge within the industry. In Chapter 5, Time Series Models, you will learn how we can build time series models in PyTorch Lightning using Reccurent Neural Networks (RNN) with Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) network architecture.
Generative Adversarial Networks with Autoencoders
Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) models are one of the most fascinating aspects of DL applications and can create realistic-looking images of people or places or objects that simply don't exist in real life. In Chapter 6, Deep Generative Models, you will learn how, by using PyTorch Lightning, you can easily craft GAN models to create realistic looking fake images of animals, food items, or people.
Self-Supervised models combining CNN and RNN
The application of DL models is not limited to just creating fancy fake images using GANs. We can even ask a machine to describe a scene in a movie or ask informative questions regarding the content of an image (such as who is in the picture or what they are doing). This model architecture is known as a semi-supervised model and, in Chapter 7, Semi-Supervised Learning, you will learn a hybrid of CNN-RNN architecture (where RNN stands for Recurrent Neural Network) that can be utilized to teach a machine how to write situational poetry. In the same chapter, we will also see how to train a model from scratch and speed it up using 16-bit precision and other operational hacks to ensure smooth training.
Self-Supervised models for contrastive learning
If machines can create realistic images or write human-like descriptions, can't they teach themselves? Self-supervised models aim to make machines learn how to perform complex tasks with low or no labels at all, thereby revolutionizing everything that we could do with AI. In Chapter 8, Self-Supervised Learning, you will learn how PyTorch Lightning has native support for self-supervised models. You will learn how to teach a machine to perform Contrastive Learning (CL), which can distinguish images without any labels purely by means of representation learning.
Deploying and scoring models
Every DL model that can ever be trained dreams of one day being productionalized and used for online predictions. This piece of ML engineering requires data scientists to familiarize themselves with various model file formats. In Chapter 9, Deploying and Scoring Models, you will learn how to deploy and score models in inter-portable models that can be language-independent and hardware-agnostic in production environments with the help of the Pickle and Open Neural Network Exchange (ONNX) formats.
Scaling models and productivity tips
Finally, the capabilities of PyTorch Lightning are not just limited to creating new models on defined architectures, but also advance the SOTA using new research. In Chapter 10, Scaling and Managing Training, we will see some capabilities that make such new research possible, as well as how to improve productivity by providing troubleshooting tricks and quick tips. We will also focus on various ways to scale the model training.
