AI buzzword dictionary

What is Large language model (LLM)?

A type of AI trained on huge amounts of text to predict and generate language.

What this actually means

An LLM works by repeatedly predicting a likely next piece of text, given everything before it. Done billions of times over, this produces answers, stories, code and summaries.

'Large' refers to the size of the model (billions of internal settings) and the volume of text it was trained on.

Example

When a chat assistant answers 'What is the capital of Australia?' with 'Canberra', it is producing the continuation that best fits the patterns it learned.

Where you may meet it

Behind most chat assistants and AI writing features.

Related terms and lessons

TokenA small chunk of text — often part of a word — that language models read and write.Context windowThe maximum amount of text a model can take into account at one time.Training dataThe examples used to teach an AI model — text, images, recordings or records.How to write a better AI promptMost disappointing AI answers come from vague instructions. This short lesson shows a simple checklist you can use with any chat assistant.

Last reviewed: 25 September 2026