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Glossary of AI Terms

A simple guide to understanding AI terminology. All definitions written for beginners!

A​

AI (Artificial Intelligence)​

Technology that enables computers to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as understanding language, recognizing images, or making decisions.

Algorithm​

A set of step-by-step instructions that a computer follows to complete a task. Think of it as a recipe that tells the computer what to do.

API (Application Programming Interface)​

A way for different software programs to communicate with each other. It's how apps connect to AI services like ChatGPT.

Anthropic​

The company that created Claude. Founded by former OpenAI researchers, focused on AI safety.

B​

Bias (AI Bias)​

When AI systems treat certain groups unfairly because of patterns in their training data. Can lead to discrimination in AI outputs.

Bot (Chatbot)​

A computer program designed to have conversations with humans. ChatGPT is a type of chatbot.

C​

ChatGPT​

A popular AI chatbot created by OpenAI that can have conversations, answer questions, and help with writing tasks.

Claude​

An AI assistant created by Anthropic, known for safety focus and ability to handle long documents.

Context Window​

How much text an AI can "remember" in a single conversation. Larger windows mean AI can consider more information at once.

Copilot (GitHub Copilot)​

An AI tool that helps programmers write code by suggesting completions and solutions.

D​

DALL-E​

An AI system by OpenAI that creates images from text descriptions. Named as a combination of Salvador Dalí and WALL-E.

Data​

Information that computers use. AI learns from massive amounts of data (text, images, etc.).

Deep Learning​

A type of AI that uses neural networks with many layers to learn complex patterns. Powers most modern AI.

Deepfake​

AI-generated content (usually video or audio) that falsely depicts real people, often used for deception.

Diffusion Model​

A type of AI that creates images by gradually removing noise from random patterns. Used by DALL-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion.

E​

Embedding​

A way AI represents text or images as numbers so it can understand meaning and relationships between concepts.

Ethics (AI Ethics)​

The study of moral issues related to AI, including fairness, privacy, and responsible use.

F​

Fine-tuning​

The process of training an existing AI model on specific data to make it better at particular tasks.

Foundation Model​

A large AI model trained on broad data that can be adapted for many different tasks. GPT-4 is an example.

G​

Gemini​

Google's AI assistant and model family, integrated with Google services.

Generative AI​

AI systems that can create new content (text, images, audio, video, code) rather than just analyzing existing data.

GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer)​

The technology behind ChatGPT. A type of AI that generates text by predicting what words should come next.

GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)​

Specialized computer chips originally designed for graphics that are now essential for training and running AI models.

H​

Hallucination​

When AI generates plausible-sounding but false or made-up information. A known limitation of current AI systems.

Human-in-the-Loop​

A design approach where humans review and approve AI decisions, maintaining oversight.

I​

Image Generation​

AI that creates images from text descriptions (like DALL-E or Midjourney).

Inference​

When an AI model makes predictions or generates outputs based on new inputs (as opposed to training).

L​

Large Language Model (LLM)​

AI models trained on massive amounts of text that can understand and generate human-like language. ChatGPT and Claude are examples.

Llama​

Meta's (Facebook's) open-source large language model family.

M​

Machine Learning​

A subset of AI where computers learn from data rather than following explicit instructions. The foundation of modern AI.

Midjourney​

An AI art generator known for creating beautiful, artistic images. Accessed through Discord.

Multimodal​

AI that can understand and work with multiple types of content (text, images, audio) at the same time.

N​

Natural Language Processing (NLP)​

The field of AI focused on understanding and generating human language.

Neural Network​

A computing system inspired by the human brain, made of interconnected nodes that process information in layers.

O​

OpenAI​

The company that created ChatGPT, GPT-4, and DALL-E. One of the leading AI research organizations.

Open Source​

Software that anyone can freely use, study, modify, and share. Stable Diffusion and Llama are open-source AI models.

P​

Parameter​

A variable in an AI model that is learned during training. GPT-4 has hundreds of billions of parameters.

Prompt​

The text instruction or question you give to an AI system. Better prompts lead to better results.

Prompt Engineering​

The skill of crafting effective prompts to get desired results from AI systems.

R​

Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF)​

A training technique where humans rate AI responses to help the AI learn what outputs are helpful and safe.

Runway​

A company that creates professional AI tools for video and image editing.

S​

Sora​

OpenAI's text-to-video AI model that can create realistic videos from text descriptions.

Stable Diffusion​

An open-source image generation AI that can run on personal computers.

Suno​

An AI that generates complete songs with vocals, instruments, and lyrics.

T​

Temperature​

A setting in AI that controls how creative or random outputs are. Higher temperature = more creative, lower = more predictable.

Text-to-Image​

AI that converts text descriptions into images (like DALL-E and Midjourney).

Text-to-Speech (TTS)​

AI that converts written text into spoken audio.

Token​

The smallest unit of text that AI processes. Can be a word, part of a word, or punctuation. AI models have limits on tokens they can process.

Training​

The process of teaching an AI model by showing it lots of examples so it learns patterns.

Transformer​

A type of neural network architecture that powers modern large language models. Introduced in 2017, it revolutionized AI.

V​

Voice Cloning​

AI technology that can replicate a person's voice. Should only be used with consent.

Z​

Zero-shot Learning​

When an AI can perform a task it wasn't specifically trained for, based on general knowledge.

Numbers & Acronyms​

GPT-3, GPT-4, GPT-4o​

Different versions of OpenAI's language models, with higher numbers generally meaning newer and more capable.

AGI (Artificial General Intelligence)​

A theoretical AI that could match or exceed human intelligence across all tasks. Does not currently exist.

API​

Application Programming Interface - how software connects to AI services.

LLM​

Large Language Model

NLP​

Natural Language Processing

RLHF​

Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback

TTS​

Text-to-Speech

Need More?​

This glossary covers the most important terms for beginners. As you continue learning, you'll encounter more specialized vocabulary.

Remember: Don't worry about memorizing all these terms! Come back to this glossary whenever you encounter an unfamiliar word.

Last updated: December 2024