Tech Notes - AI Terms

Concept Summary Examples
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer systems designed to mimic human tasks like understanding language, making decisions, and learning from experience. Siri, Alexa, self-driving cars
Machine Learning A type of AI that learns from data to recognize patterns and improve performance over time without being explicitly programmed. Spam filters, Netflix recommendations
Large Language Models (LLMs) AI models trained on vast amounts of text data to generate human-like responses, such as GPT or Bing Chat. ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Gemini
Generative AI AI that creates new content—text, images, music, code—based on learned patterns rather than repeating known material. DALL-E, Copilot, Stable Diffusion
Hallucinations When AI produces false or made-up information with confidence; an ongoing challenge in generative AI. AI says "Abraham Lincoln was born in 1945"
Responsible AI Principles and practices to ensure AI is ethical, safe, inclusive, fair, and transparent across its design and deployment. Microsoft Responsible AI Standard
Multimodal Models AI systems that understand and combine different input types like text, images, and sound for more complex interactions. GPT-4 Vision, Gemini, Copilot Studio
Prompts Instructions or inputs (text, image, code) used to guide AI systems in generating desired outputs. "Write a poem about summer", uploading a photo for description
Copilots AI tools integrated into software (e.g. Microsoft 365) that assist users by offering suggestions, automating tasks, and enhancing productivity. Microsoft 365 Copilot, GitHub Copilot
Reasoning / Planning AI’s ability to break down complex goals into logical steps to plan or solve problems—like planning a trip or building a to-do list. Copilot planning a meeting, AI generating a travel itinerary