Large Language Models

By Devonte Longmire

What is it?

Large Language Models (LLMs) are a type of artificial intelligence in research and commercial use that are trained to understand and generate human-like text by analyzing huge amounts of written information.

Tech Understandability:

Simple One-Sentence Definition

A Large Language Model is a smart computer program that reads and writes text in a way that sounds like a person, by learning from lots of examples.

Analogy or Comparison that makes the concept relatable

Imagine reading a whole library of books and learning how people talk, then trying to answer questions or write stories based on what you’ve read—that’s what an LLM does, but much faster.

Why it matters?

LLMs help power tools like ChatGPT, translation apps, voice assistants, and customer service bots. They make it easier for people to get help with writing, researching, or even just understanding complicated topics. Businesses use them to speed up responses, schools use them for tutoring, and creators use them for brainstorming ideas. LLMs are changing how we work, learn, and communicate by making it feel like you’re talking to someone who really understands language.

Fun Fact

Some large language models are trained using over a trillion words—more than most people will read in their entire lives.

Related Terms

Artificial Intelligence (AI): Computers that try to act or think like humans.

Training Data: All the text a model reads to learn how language works.

Natural Language Processing (NLP): Technology that helps computers understand and use human language.

Prompt: The question or message you give to an AI to get a response.

Model Size: Refers to how many internal settings (“parameters”) the model has, which affects how smart or complex it is.

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