Breaking Down Large Language Models: Words, Tokens & Beyond
In recent years, large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s GPT series, Google's BERT, and others have revolutionized how we interact with technology. These models are capable of understanding and generating human-like text, offering powerful tools in a wide range of applications from customer service to content creation. But how exactly do these models process and generate text? To answer that, it’s important to break down some of the fundamental concepts behind LLMs—specifically, words and tokens. What Are Tokens? Before diving into how large language models function, it’s essential to understand what a token is. In the world of LLMs, a token is a unit of text that the model processes. Tokens can be as short as a single character or as long as a full word, depending on how the model is trained. Here’s a more detailed breakdown: Tokens are not always words : While you might think a token corresponds directly to a word, that’s not always the case. For example, in English, a ...
