[1hr Talk] Intro to Large Language Models

The single best hour you can spend on what a large language model actually is. Karpathy — who helped build these systems at OpenAI and Tesla — explains a model as two files on a computer, shows what training does to produce them, and walks through why "predict the next word" turns out to be enough to compress a working model of the world. He closes with where the field is heading (tools, agents, an "LLM operating system") and why security problems like jailbreaks and prompt injection exist.

Watch it first, before anything else in this collection. It was recorded as a general-audience talk, assumes no programming background, and nearly every other piece here quietly relies on the mental picture it gives you. The companion guide keys explanations to timestamps so you can pause where the going gets technical.