If you’ve been curious about AI but feel overwhelmed by all the technical terms, you’re definitely not alone. One of the biggest misconceptions is that you need to understand complicated technology before you can start using AI. The truth is, most of the core concepts are much simpler than they sound.
I like to think of AI as a friend who’s read the entire internet. Instead of searching through pages of links yourself, you ask a question, and AI gives you a direct answer based on everything it has learned.
Here is part one. I’ll be updating this regularly, so stay tuned for the breakdowns on more terms!
- AI (Artificial Intelligence)
- Technology that can perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, like answering questions, writing, recognizing images, translating languages, or helping solve problems. It isn't "thinking" like a person, but it's been trained to recognize patterns and generate useful responses based on what it has learned.
- Model
- The AI system itself. Different models have different strengths — some are better at writing, some at coding, some at reasoning, and others are designed to work quickly or efficiently.
- LLM (Large Language Model)
- The technology behind tools like ChatGPT. An LLM is trained on massive amounts of text so it can understand language, recognize patterns, and generate human-like responses — like an incredibly well-read assistant that can help with brainstorming, learning, coding, writing, and much more.
- Prompts
- The instruction you give AI. Think of it like ordering at a restaurant: ask for food and you'll get something generic, but ask for a grilled chicken salad with no onions and dressing on the side, and you'll get exactly what you're looking for. The more specific your prompt, the better your results.
- AI Workflows
- A series of steps to complete a task from start to finish, with AI helping or automating each step — like a recipe or checklist AI helps you follow automatically to save time and keep your work consistent.
- Automation
- When AI handles repetitive tasks for you with little or no manual work — organizing emails, summarizing meetings, generating reports, or scheduling reminders.
- AI Agent
- Less a secret agent, more a personal assistant that works for you around the clock. Instead of waiting for you to ask every time, it can monitor information, automate repetitive work, and notify you when something important happens — like watching flight prices so you don't have to check them yourself.
- Training Data
- How AI learns. Imagine studying for a test — the more examples you review, the better you'll become at answering questions on that topic. AI learns similarly, from an enormous amount of information, which is why it can answer questions across so many subjects.
The goal isn’t to memorize technical terminology or become an AI expert overnight. It’s simply to understand the basics well enough that you can start using these tools with confidence. AI is becoming part of our everyday lives, and learning a few foundational concepts today will make it much easier to take advantage of everything this technology will offer in the future.