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AI & Machine Learning · Intermediate

Encoder-Only Architecture

A transformer that uses only the encoder stack with bidirectional attention, suited to understanding tasks.

Definition

Encoder-only models such as BERT and RoBERTa see the whole input at once, making them strong for classification, NER, and producing embeddings. They are not designed for open-ended text generation.

Exam tip

Encoder-only = understanding/embeddings; decoder-only = generation.

Related terms