Information, communication and AI
AI is closely tied to questions about how much information data contains and how we transmit it.
What is it?
Information theory measures how much information a message contains and how it can be transmitted or compressed reliably. Language models are closely linked to it, because they learn to predict what comes next in a text. A good prediction, however, is not the same as understanding or truth.
An everyday example
When your phone suggests the next word as you type, it is using probabilities of what usually follows. Language models work in a similar way, on a far larger scale.
Why does it matter?
It helps explain why models imitate language so well, and why they can still state something that sounds likely but is not true.
A common misconception
That information is the same as meaning or truth. A sentence can be statistically very likely and still wrong.
In more detail
What is information theory?
The mathematical study of information, uncertainty and the limits of transmitting data.
Why is that linked to language models?
Because a model weighs possible outputs based on the information available and the patterns in it.
What does compression mean?
Representing data or patterns more compactly. But not every kind of compression is learning.
What does this have to do with understanding?
Storing information efficiently can help with a task, but on its own it does not prove consciousness or intent.
Remember: Information, meaning and truth are not the same thing.
Reliable sources
Last reviewed 1 November 2026. An explainer, not professional, legal or medical advice. For rules and figures that change, check the official version.