Science & technology | Artificial intelligence

Researchers are figuring out how large language models work

Such insights could help make them safer, more truthful and easier to use

Illustration of a glowing, stylized brain, superimposed over the brain is a microchip

TO MOST PEOPLE, the inner workings of a car engine or a computer are a mystery. It might as well be a black box: never mind what goes on inside, as long as it works. Besides, the people who design and build such complex systems know how they work in great detail, and can diagnose and fix them when they go wrong. But that is not the case for large language models (LLMs), such as GPT-4, Claude and Gemini, which are at the forefront of the boom in artificial intelligence (AI).

The Economist today

Handpicked stories, in your inbox

A daily newsletter with the best of our journalism

More from Science & technology

Freeze-dried chromosomes can survive for thousands of years

They contain unprecedented detail about their long-dead parent organisms

A scientific discovery could lead to leak-free period products

Polymers from algae can turn menstrual blood into a gel


Vaccines could keep salmon safe from sea lice

A successful jab would be a boon to fish farmers


More from Science & technology

Freeze-dried chromosomes can survive for thousands of years

They contain unprecedented detail about their long-dead parent organisms

A scientific discovery could lead to leak-free period products

Polymers from algae can turn menstrual blood into a gel


Vaccines could keep salmon safe from sea lice

A successful jab would be a boon to fish farmers


New yeast strains can produce untapped flavours of lager

One Chilean hybrid has a spicy taste, with hints of clove

A new technique could analyse tumours mid-surgery

It would be fast enough to guide the hands of neurosurgeons

The world’s most studied rainforest is still yielding new insights

Even after a century of research, Barro Colorado in Panama continues to shed light on natural life