Transformer
A breakthrough AI architecture invented in 2017 that allows computers to understand the context of entire sentences at once.
In Plain English
The Transformer is the specific blueprint that made modern AI like ChatGPT possible (the "T" in ChatGPT stands for Transformer). Before this, AI read sentences one word at a time, like reading a book through a tiny peephole. Transformers allow the AI to look at the whole sentence simultaneously, understanding how words relate to each other even if they are far apart. It is like the difference between spelling out a word and reading it instantly.
Real-World Example
An AI understanding that in the sentence "The bank of the river was muddy," the word "bank" means land, not a financial institution.