How transformers work, explained without the math
The transformer architecture behind ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, explained step by step: tokens, embeddings, attention and why it changed AI in 2017.
AI Desk3 min read
Research PapersResearch
Scaling laws explained: why bigger language models kept getting better
The 2020 OpenAI paper by Kaplan and colleagues showed that model loss falls predictably with size, data and compute. What it found, why it mattered and its limits.
AI Desk4 min read
Benchmarks & LeaderboardsResearch
MMLU explained: the exam that measured AI knowledge across 57 subjects
How the 2020 MMLU benchmark tested language models on law, medicine, math and more, why it became the standard for years, and why newer tests replaced it.
AI Desk4 min read
NLP & LLMsResearch
InstructGPT explained: how human feedback turned language models into assistants
The 2022 InstructGPT paper showed that reinforcement learning from human feedback makes models more helpful and less harmful. The method, the results and the trade-offs.
AI Desk4 min read
NLP & LLMsResearch
Chinchilla explained: why AI models needed more data, not just more parameters
DeepMind's 2022 Chinchilla paper found that most large language models were undertrained. The 20-tokens-per-parameter rule, its impact and why labs now go beyond it.
AI Desk4 min read
Reinforcement LearningResearch
PPO explained: the reinforcement learning algorithm behind RLHF
Proximal Policy Optimization made policy-gradient training simpler and more stable by limiting how far each update can move. How it works and why it is everywhere.
AI Desk3 min read
AGI & FrontierResearch
"Sparks of AGI" explained: what Microsoft claimed about GPT-4, and the critiques
Microsoft researchers argued that GPT-4 showed early signs of general intelligence. What they tested, why critics objected and what it teaches about AGI claims.
AI Desk3 min read
DatasetsResearch
FineWeb and Common Crawl explained: how web data becomes training data
Most language models learn from filtered web crawls. How Common Crawl works, how FineWeb cleaned 15 trillion tokens, and why filtering choices shape model quality.
AI Desk3 min read
The AI language divide: why many languages are left behind
Most AI is built for English and a few major languages. Why low-resource languages lag, what that means for billions of people, and the efforts to close the gap.
AI Desk3 min read