LLMs Unplugged Understand AI by building it from scratch, with pen, paper, and dice

LLMs Unplugged is a set of hands-on teaching resources that demonstrate how large language models work—no computers or coding required. You count word patterns in a text, record them as tally marks on grid paper or physical piles of paper cutouts, then roll dice to generate new text from those patterns. After building a language model Language model A system that predicts what text comes next based on patterns learned from training data. Your hand-built grid or cutouts spread is a language model. View in glossary by hand, something clicks: you see that tools like Claude and ChatGPT ChatGPT OpenAI's chatbot, and probably the most well-known LLM product. On this site we often use "ChatGPT" as shorthand for any modern LLM chatbot---the concepts apply equally to Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek and others. The underlying principles are the same regardless of which product you use. View in glossary work using the same basic principles, just at a vastly larger scale.

Where do you want to start?

I'm teaching a class

Which lesson fits your year level and period length, what to print, where it sits in the curriculum, and accredited professional learning.

I'm running a workshop or giving a talk

Ready-to-run sessions we've tested in real rooms, with slides, presenter notes, timings and materials lists—from a sixty-minute workshop to a fifteen-minute talk for a hall.

I want to try it myself

Twenty minutes on your own, with a pen, some paper and something random: tally the word pairs in a short text, then use them to write a new sentence.

I want to come to a session

We run open sessions at ANU in Canberra, and deliver workshops for schools, organisations and conferences. Book a place, or get in touch about hosting one.

Not sure? Start with My First Language Model—the classic LLMs Unplugged lesson, in lengths from 60 minutes to two hours.

What's new in LLMs Unplugged?

The whole room holds the model

Search sheets are the cutouts activity with the cutting taken out, sized for a room rather than a table. Four ready-to-print sets are on the tools page.

6 August 2026

LLMs Unplugged now speaks Mandarin Chinese

The interactive widgets and the booklet generator now segment Mandarin Chinese into words, not just characters. Thanks to Zhang Xilian for the nudge.

3 July 2026

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Why does this matter?

Since ChatGPT arrived in November 2022, (most) everyone's using LLMs Language model A system that predicts what text comes next based on patterns learned from training data. Your hand-built grid or cutouts spread is a language model. View in glossary , yet most people have no real mental model of what's actually happening under the hood. Understanding how these systems work—not through metaphor or handwaving but through direct experience—is what we're all about. These resources don't tell you or your students what to think about the role of AI in society; they give you a grounding for having that discussion, informed by having done it yourself. No coding, no maths beyond counting and percentages, and it works from primary school to the boardroom. More in the FAQ.

Who made this?

LLMs Unplugged is a Cybernetic Studio project created by Dr. Ben Swift (PhD Computer Science, 2012) at the ANU School of Cybernetics. But if you're worried that you'll need a PhD in Computer Science to understand it, rest assured—the whole point of these resources is to demonstrate that you don't. There's more on the lineage, from CS Unplugged back to Shannon, on the about page.

Contact

If you have questions, success stories about using these materials, or would like to discuss adaptations or improvements you've made, get in touch at ben.swift@anu.edu.au. If you'd like to hear about what cool stuff is going on at the School of Cybernetics, then sign up for the mailing list.