Program-Aided Language Models

Sections: What & Why • Tools • Example

What & Why Combine code execution with LLM reasoning to perform accurate calculations, data processing, or dynamic tasks.

Tools

• OpenAI function calling
• Jupyter-style evaluation
• Python REPL integration

Example

“Compute the CAGR for a dataset of annual revenues and plot the result.”

When to Use

• Data analysis tasks requiring precise calculations
• Automating code generation or data processing within prompts

Effectiveness

• Ensures factual accuracy through actual code execution
• Offloads complex logic to reliable computing environments

Example Snippet

"Task: Calculate the mean of [2, 4, 6, 8, 10] using a Python REPL, then explain the result."

Simple Explanation

Program-aided models run code or call functions to get exact results rather than guessing.