Large Language Model (LLM)
The AI technology powering ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot — the systems that generate product recommendations.
What it means
A large language model is a neural network trained on vast text corpora that generates human-like responses to input prompts. LLMs are the engine behind every major AI answer platform. Understanding LLMs matters to merchants because these models have training cutoffs (they may not know about recently launched products), rely on retrieval for fresh data, and weight authoritative sources when recommending products. Shopify merchants need their product and brand information present in the data sources LLMs retrieve from — both at training time and via live web retrieval.
Why it matters for Shopify
Every AI platform recommending Shopify stores is powered by an LLM — understanding how they select citations is the foundation of effective AEO strategy.