Confused by AI buzzwords? You’re not alone. This plain-English glossary explains the most common terms you’ll encounter — no tech background needed.
A
Algorithm
A set of step-by-step instructions a computer follows to solve a problem or complete a task. Think of it like a recipe — the computer follows each step in order to get a result.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Computer software that can perform tasks that normally require human intelligence — like understanding language, recognizing photos, or making decisions. AI learns from examples rather than following rigid rules.
AI Assistant
A program you can have a conversation with to get help — like asking questions, writing emails, or getting advice. Examples include Claude, ChatGPT, and Siri.
C
Chatbot
A computer program designed to simulate a conversation with a human. Older chatbots could only answer a fixed set of questions. Modern AI chatbots can understand and respond to almost anything you type.
Claude
An AI assistant made by a company called Anthropic. Claude is designed to be helpful, honest, and safe — and is one of the most capable AI assistants available today.
ChatGPT
A popular AI assistant made by a company called OpenAI. Like Claude, you can have a text conversation with it to get help with writing, questions, research, and more.
Context Window
The amount of text an AI can “remember” during a single conversation. Once a conversation gets very long, the AI may start to forget things said earlier — similar to how a piece of paper can only hold so much writing.
D
Data
Information stored on a computer — like text, numbers, photos, or videos. AI systems learn by studying huge amounts of data, the same way a person learns by reading many books.
Deep Learning
A type of AI that learns by processing layers of information, loosely inspired by how the human brain works. It’s what powers many of today’s most impressive AI tools, including image recognition and voice assistants.
G
Generative AI
AI that can create new content — such as writing, images, music, or video — rather than just analyzing existing content. When you ask an AI to write a poem or generate a photo, that’s generative AI at work.
H
Hallucination
When an AI confidently states something that is incorrect or made up. It’s one of the most important limitations to know about — always double-check important facts that an AI tells you, especially for medical, legal, or financial matters.
L
Large Language Model (LLM)
The type of AI that powers most modern chatbots. It has been trained on enormous amounts of text from books, websites, and other sources, which allows it to understand and generate human language. Claude and ChatGPT are both LLMs.
M
Machine Learning
A branch of AI where computers learn from experience rather than being given exact instructions. Instead of programming every rule, you show the computer thousands of examples and it figures out the patterns on its own.
Model
The “brain” inside an AI system — the result of training a program on large amounts of data. Different models have different strengths. For example, some are better at writing, others at math or images.
P
Prompt
The message or question you type to an AI assistant. The better your prompt, the better the AI’s response. A good prompt is clear, specific, and gives the AI enough context to help you well.
Prompt Engineering
The skill of writing prompts that get the best possible responses from an AI. It’s less about technical knowledge and more about learning how to communicate clearly with an AI — something anyone can learn.
T
Token
The small chunks that AI breaks text into when processing it. A token is roughly equal to a word or part of a word. AI models have limits on how many tokens they can handle at once — this is related to the context window.
Training
The process of teaching an AI by feeding it large amounts of data. During training, the AI adjusts itself millions of times until it gets good at a task — similar to how a person improves through practice.
V
Voice Assistant
An AI you can speak to out loud, rather than typing. Examples include Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Google Assistant. They use AI to understand your spoken words and respond helpfully.
💡 Don’t see a term you’ve heard? Send us a message and we’ll add it to the glossary!
This glossary is updated regularly as new AI terms enter everyday conversation. Last updated April 2026.
