Large Language Models (LLMs) trained on extensive textual corpora have
emerged as leading solutions for a broad array of Natural Language Processing
(NLP) tasks. Despite their notable performance, these models are prone to
certain limitations such as misunderstanding human instructions, generating
potentially biased content, or factually incorrect (hallucinated) information.
Hence, aligning LLMs with human expectations has become an active area of
interest within the research community. This survey presents a comprehensive
overview of these alignment technologies, including the following aspects. (1)
Data collection: the methods for effectively collecting high-quality
instructions for LLM alignment, including the use of NLP benchmarks, human
annotations, and leveraging strong LLMs. (2) Training methodologies: a detailed
review of the prevailing training methods employed for LLM alignment. Our
exploration encompasses Supervised Fine-tuning, both Online and Offline human
preference training, along with parameter-efficient training mechanisms. (3)
Model Evaluation: the methods for evaluating the effectiveness of these
human-aligned LLMs, presenting a multifaceted approach towards their
assessment. In conclusion, we collate and distill our findings, shedding light
on several promising future research avenues in the field. This survey,
therefore, serves as a valuable resource for anyone invested in understanding
and advancing the alignment of LLMs to better suit human-oriented tasks and
expectations. An associated GitHub link collecting the latest papers is
available at https://github.com/GaryYufei/AlignLLMHumanSurvey.Comment: work in progres