LLM (Large Language Model)
Large language models that understand and generate human language.
Explanation
LLMs are neural networks with billions of parameters trained on massive amounts of text. They can understand, generate, translate language, and perform tasks such as summarizing or creating code.
How it works
An LLM predicts word by word what should come next - based on the entire context (the prompt). By training on billions of texts, it has built up a wide range of knowledge.
Example
ChatGPT (OpenAI), Claude (Anthropic), Gemini (Google) – the models behind modern AI chatbots and copilots.
Why it matters
LLMs are the engine behind most current enterprise AI applications – from customer service to document processing.
What is an LLM?
LLM stands for large language model. “Large” refers to the number of parameters, the weights learned during training, and to the amount of training text. Almost all of today's LLMs are based on the transformer architecture introduced by Google researchers in 2017.
An LLM processes text as tokens and computes a probability distribution for each next token. This simple objective gives rise to remarkably versatile capabilities: summarizing, translating, classifying, writing code and extracting data from documents. But an LLM has no built-in fact database and no access to current or internal data unless you provide it.
Which LLM is right for a business?
There are two broad groups. Proprietary models such as GPT (OpenAI), Claude (Anthropic) and Gemini (Google) are used via API or chat applications and are typically the most capable. Open-weight models such as Llama (Meta), Mistral, Qwen or gpt-oss can be downloaded and run on your own hardware, see local LLM.
There is no single best model. What matters is quality on your specific task, cost per request, speed, data protection and regional availability. Many production systems combine models: a strong one for hard steps and a cheaper one for routine work. Because the market moves fast, applications should be built so the model can be swapped without a rewrite.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an LLM and ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is an application and the LLM is the model behind it. The same models can be built into your own software via API, without the chat interface.
What is the difference between an LLM and generative AI?
Generative AI is the umbrella term for AI that creates new content, including images, audio and video. LLMs are the subset specialized in language and text.