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What is a transformer in AI?
Short answer
A transformer is the type of AI design behind most chatbots, built to track how words in a text relate to each other.
- Category Models
- Updated 20 Oct 2026
Transformer, explained simply
Before transformers, AI read text in order and often lost track of earlier words. Transformers look at the whole text at once.
They use a method called attention to decide which words matter most for each other.
Most large language models you use today, including chat tools, are built on this design.
On ITG Now, our daily AI news stories mention transformers when new model designs come up.
Related terms
LLMNeural networkDeep learningMixture of expertsToken
Questions people ask about Transformer
Is a transformer the same as ChatGPT?
No. A transformer is the design. ChatGPT is an app built on models that use it.
Why are transformers so popular?
They learn language well and can be trained on many computers at once.