# A Latent-Model Definition of Understanding in LLMs

DevFeed: [A Latent-Model Definition of Understanding in LLMs](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/do-llms-understand-33470.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://timkellogg.me/blog/2025/07/18/understanding>)

Published: 2025-07-18T00:00:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Tim Kellogg](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/tim-kellogg.md>)

Topics: [LLMs](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/llms.md>), [Embeddings](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/embeddings.md>)

Tags: [embeddings](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/embeddings.md>), [llms](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/llms.md>), [research](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/research.md>)

## AI overview

The article proposes defining understanding as an entity's ability to build a latent model of reality, learn beyond directly presented information, and find novel solutions when events deviate from plan. It argues that LLMs show evidence of these properties, while sycophancy can make their outputs incoherent. Embedding models are presented as another example of latent models because embeddings model the meaning of text.

## Source excerpt

What does "understand" mean? I didn't know, so I did a bunch of research and this is what I got. Spoiler: LLMs do understand things, afaict.