Glossary

AI

Short for Artificial Intelligence – machines that can perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence.

AI Agent

An AI system that can take actions independently to achieve goals.

AI Tools

Software that uses artificial intelligence to perform tasks like writing (e.g. ChatGPT) or image creation (e.g. DALL·E).

Alignment

Designing an AI system to act in ways that match human goals, values, or intentions.

API (Application Programming Interface)

A set of rules that lets different software systems talk to each other.

Bias

When an AI system produces unfair or prejudiced results due to skewed data or design.

Chatbot

A program that simulates conversation, often using AI to respond naturally.

Context Window

The amount of text an AI model can ‘remember’ at once.

Deepfake

Fake media created using AI to convincingly mimic real people or events.

Ethics

Moral principles guiding the development and use of AI.

Generative AI

AI that can create new content, like text, music, images, or video.

Hallucination

When an AI generates false or misleading information that sounds correct.

Language Model

An AI trained to understand and generate human language.

Machine Learning

A method of teaching computers to learn from data rather than being explicitly programmed.

Model

The core system in AI that has been trained to perform a task.

Neural Network

A type of algorithm inspired by the human brain, used in deep learning.

Prompt

The text or question you give to an AI to get a response.

Prompt Engineering

The skill of crafting prompts to get better AI responses.

Recommendation Engine

An AI system that suggests content based on user preferences or behaviour.

Synthetic Intelligence

An alternative name sometimes used for Artificial Intelligence. It does not represent a new technology and still relies on methods like machine learning, neural networks, and training on large datasets. Mostly a rebranding term.

Token

A small piece of text (like a word or part of a word) used by AI systems to process language.

Tokenised

The process of breaking text into tokens so AI can understand it.

Training Data

The information used to teach an AI system how to make decisions.