Large Language Model (LLM)

A large language model (LLM) is a neural network trained on huge volumes of text to predict and generate language. LLMs are the engines behind ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini: ask one a question and it composes an answer, drawing on training data plus, increasingly, live retrieval.

LLMs changed discovery because they answer instead of listing links — so being named inside that answer, not ranked below it, becomes the goal. Understanding that LLMs weigh training data, retrieved sources and third-party consensus explains why AEO looks different from classic SEO.