CS25-Transformers United
FreeStanford's hottest seminar on Transformers and AI
FreeFree tier
About CS25-Transformers United
CS25 is a Stanford seminar course now in its sixth iteration, featuring top researchers at the forefront of Transformers research, including Geoffrey Hinton, Ashish Vaswani, and Andrej Karpathy. The course covers the latest breakthroughs in AI, from large language models like GPT to applications in art, biology, and robotics. Anyone is free to audit in-person or join Zoom livestreams without requiring Stanford affiliation or sign-up. A lively Discord community with over 5,000 members supports discussion. Weekly attendance is the only homework for students, and the course has millions of total views on YouTube.
Key Features
Weekly talks by leading AI researchers (e.g., Geoffrey Hinton, Ashish Vaswani, Andrej Karpathy)
Free and open to all – no Stanford affiliation or sign-up required
In-person attendance at Skilling Auditorium and Zoom livestreams
Active Discord community with over 5,000 members
Covers Transformers, large language models, and applications in art, biology, and robotics
Recordings available on YouTube with millions of views
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Completely free and open to the public
- Access to world-renowned researchers presenting their latest work
- No prerequisites or formal registration needed to attend
- Active community for discussion and collaboration
- Recordings available for those who cannot attend live
Cons
- Limited to spring quarter schedule (March 30 – June 3)
- Focuses on lectures rather than hands-on coding or tutorials
- Requires weekly attendance if taking the course for credit
- Not a substitute for a full machine learning course
Best For
Learning about Transformer architectures and their evolutionStaying current with AI research breakthroughs from top researchersNetworking with AI enthusiasts and researchers via DiscordUnderstanding applications of Transformers in diverse fields like art, biology, and robotics
FAQ
Do I need to be a Stanford student to attend?
No, anyone is free to audit in-person or join the Zoom livestreams without signing up or being affiliated with Stanford.
Is there homework?
The only homework for students is weekly attendance to the talks/lectures.
Can I watch recordings?
Yes, the course has millions of total views on YouTube, so recordings are available.
How can I join the community?
There is a lively Discord community with over 5,000 members – feel free to join and chat with others about Transformers.