Best explanations of how LLMs work

I maintain a set of best explanations1 of how LLMs train and work. “LLMs” here is a broad term for the frontier models that create value in 2026. They have more components than just a language model, but powerful language models are their necessary core. Universal explainers Considering: humans are universal explainers (Deutsch) - they use creativity to explain the world. Conjecture: LLMs are…