When working with Large Language Models, you'll encounter various technical terms that are crucial for effective use. Let's break down these essential concepts in plain English, making them accessible for business professionals.
Tokens: The Building Blocks of AI Language
What Are Tokens?
Imagine breaking down a book into its smallest readable pieces. That's what tokenization does. Tokens can be:
- Full words
- Parts of words
- Punctuation marks
- Special characters
For example, the phrase "Let's understand LLMs" might be broken down as:
["Let", "'s", "understand", "L", "L", "Ms"]Why Tokens Matter
- They determine how much text you can process at once
- They affect costs (most services charge per token)
- They influence the quality of responses
