Basics

Generative AI

AI that creates new content, such as text, images, audio, video or code, in response to a request. It works by producing output that is statistically likely given its training, which is why it can be fluent and wrong at the same time.


Where this is taught

1What AI actually is
AI, machine learning, deep learning and generative AI, untangled: what each term means, what it doesn't, and why the hype and the fear both miss.

Related terms

AGI (artificial general intelligence)

A hypothetical AI that could match or exceed people across most intellectual tasks. There is no agreed definition or t…

AI (artificial intelligence)

Computer systems that do tasks we would normally say need human intelligence, such as understanding language, recognis…

AI assistant

A general-purpose chat tool built on a large language model that can write, answer questions, analyse files and, incre…

Algorithm

A set of step-by-step instructions for solving a problem. In machine learning, the training algorithm is the recipe fo…

Chatbot

A program you talk to in a conversation. Older chatbots followed scripted decision trees; modern ones use large langua…

Computer vision

The field of AI that interprets images and video: reading text in photos, spotting defects on a production line, count…

Beyond the definition

Knowing the word is the easy part

A short assessment scores you across five skill areas and builds a path through 18 modules, skipping whatever you already know. Free, no card.

Find your level