How We Got Started

Unstructured is an open-source toolkit designed to streamline the integration of natural language data with large language models (LLMs), providing crucial solutions for data scientists who face challenges in connecting, transforming, and staging data at scale. Initially launched in September 2022, the toolkit aimed to offer clean training and evaluation data for NLP projects like custom named entity recognition and relation extraction models. The emergence of ChatGPT significantly increased demand for tools that facilitate interaction with data, positioning Unstructured as an essential component of the LLM tech stack, evidenced by its over 700,000 PyPI downloads and widespread usage across numerous companies and GitHub repositories. The toolkit supports traditional NLP workflows but has adapted to integrate with LLM-specific tools such as vector databases and orchestration frameworks. It enables developers and enterprises to handle various file types and document layouts, offering both open-source libraries and an API for easy preprocessing of data for LLM applications. Unstructured invites developers to join their community for collaboration and feedback, and offers solutions for organizations looking to leverage their internal data with LLMs.