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World's Fair 2025

How LLMs work for Web Devs: GPT in 600 lines of Vanilla JS - Ishan Anand

Ishan Anand

Overview

This talk breaks down how Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT-2 work, demystifying them for web developers by implementing a core GPT-2 model in approximately 600 lines of vanilla JavaScript. The presentation emphasizes understanding the underlying mechanics rather than requiring deep ML expertise, using analogies and code walkthroughs to make complex concepts accessible. The goal is to transform the perception of LLMs from magic to understandable machinery.

Who should watch

Key takeaways

Notable quotes

*Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.*
*If you understand GPT-2, you are 80% of the way to understanding how a state-of-the-art model works under the hood.*
*You shall know a word by the company it keeps.*

Watch on YouTube →

Unofficial community note. Prefer the recording for nuance.