AI Introduction, Glossary of Terms & Tools
What is AI? Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a field of computer science dedicated to creating systems capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence.
While traditional software follows a strict “if this, then that” recipe written by a human, AI learns to recognize patterns and make decisions based on data.
Understanding AI is easier when you break it down by what it can actually do. Currently, we live in a world dominated by the first category (ANI):
- Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI)
This is referred to as “Weak AI,” but it’s incredibly powerful. It is designed to excel at a single task.
- Examples: Facial recognition, Spotify recommendations, or Google Translate.
- Limitation: A chess-playing AI cannot tell you how to bake a cake; it only “knows” chess.
- Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
AGI is referred to as “Strong AI.” This refers to a machine that possesses the ability to understand, learn, and apply knowledge across a wide range of tasks at a human level. This does not exist yet.
- Artificial Superintelligence (ASI)
This is the theoretical point where AI surpasses human intelligence across all fields, including creativity, wisdom, and social skills. This is the stuff of science fiction… for now.
How Does AI Actually “Learn”?
Most of the AI we interact with currently is built on Machine Learning (ML). Within that is a specialized subfield called Deep Learning, which uses structures inspired by the human brain.
- Data is the Fuel: AI needs massive amounts of information to learn.
- Algorithms are the Engine: These are the mathematical instructions that process the data.
- Neural Networks: These are layers of algorithms that mimic how neurons fire in a brain, allowing the AI to “see” a cat in a photo or “understand” the context of a sentence.
Glossary of AI-related Terms
Agentic Workflow: A series of steps where multiple AI agents work together to finish a complex project (e.g., one researches, one writes, one fact-checks).
AI Agent: An AI that doesn’t just talk but acts. It can use your browser, book flights, or update your calendar autonomously.
AI Literacy: The ability to understand, use, and critically evaluate AI outputs.
Algorithm: A set of step-by-step mathematical instructions or rules that an AI follows to complete a task.
Application Programming Interface (API): A way for different software systems to talk to each other. It allows one application (like an AI tool) to send and receive information from another system (like your CRM, email, or database) without needing a human to manually transfer the data.
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI): A theoretical AI that can perform any intellectual task a human can do.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): The broad field of creating machines and software that can simulate human intelligence, such as problem-solving, learning, and pattern recognition.
Automation vs Augmentation: Two ways AI can be used in work.
- Automation: AI completes a task on its own with little or no human involvement (e.g., automatically generating reports).
- Augmentation: AI assists a human, helping them work faster or better while the human stays in control (e.g., drafting an email that you review and edit).
Most business use cases today are augmentation, not full automation.
Bias: When an AI produces prejudiced results because the data it was trained on contained human prejudices or gaps.
Black Box: A term used to describe AI systems where the internal decision-making process is so complex that even the creators can’t fully explain why the AI chose a specific output.
Chatbot Provider Liability Act: This legislation is starting to hold companies legally responsible if their AI gives harmful or incorrect advice.
Data Privacy: Protecting sensitive or confidential information (such as client data, financials, or deal terms) when using AI systems.
Data Leakage: When sensitive information is unintentionally exposed or shared through an AI tool, often because it was entered into a system without proper safeguards.
(Both data privacy and data leakage are major concerns when using AI in business environments.)
Deep Learning (DL): A specialized type of ML that uses Artificial Neural Networks with many layers (hence “deep”) to process complex patterns like voice or images.
Generative AI (GenAI): A type of AI that can create new content, such as text, images, music, or code, rather than just analyzing existing data.
Guardrails: Safety rules programmed into the AI to prevent it from generating harmful or illegal content.
Hallucination: When an AI confidently generates information that is factually incorrect or nonsensical.
Human-in-the-Loop (HITL): A process where a human reviews, guides, or approves AI outputs before they are finalized. This is used to improve accuracy, reduce risk, and ensure important decisions are not made by AI alone.
Inference: The process of the AI actually using its trained model to provide an answer or perform a task when given new data.
Large Language Model (LLM): A type of AI trained on massive amounts of text data (like books and websites) to understand and generate human-like language.
Latency: The amount of time it takes for an AI system to respond after receiving a request. Lower latency means faster responses, while higher latency can slow down workflows, especially in real-time applications.
Machine Learning (ML): A subset of AI that focuses on building systems that learn from data to improve their performance over time without being explicitly programmed for every task.
Model Drift: Over time, an AI model’s performance can decline because the real world changes but the model does not update automatically. For example, market conditions shift, but the AI is still relying on older patterns, leading to less accurate outputs.
Multimodal: AI that can “see,” “hear,” and “speak”—processing text, images, and audio all at once.
Natural Language Processing (NLP): The specific branch of AI that deals with the interaction between computers and human languages.
Neural Network: A computing system inspired by the human brain’s structure. It consists of interconnected “neurons” that process information in layers.
Parameters: These are essentially the “knobs and dials” inside an AI model that are adjusted during training to help it make accurate decisions.
Prompt: The instruction or question you give to an AI (like me!) to get a response.
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG): Connecting an AI to a specific set of trusted documents (like your company handbook) so it doesn’t make things up.
Token: The basic unit of text that an LLM processes. It can be a single character, a word, or part of a word.
Training Data: The “textbook” for an AI. This is the initial dataset used to teach the model how to recognize patterns or make predictions.
More Commonly Used AI Tools
CapCut: Video editing app for short form content. It uses AI for “Auto-cutout” (removing backgrounds without a green screen), Auto-captions (transcribing speech into text overlays instantly), and AI voiceovers.
ChatGPT (OpenAI): Currently, the most popular digital sidekick. The latest GPT-5 series models now feature “Sora 2” integration for high-end video and deeper document analysis.
Claude (Anthropic): Widely considered the “most human” sounding AI. It’s the go-to for complex coding, nuanced creative writing, and massive technical documents.
Context Window: The “short-term memory” of the AI. It’s how much information the AI can “keep in mind” during a single conversation before it starts forgetting the beginning.
Copy.ai: Best for high-speed sales and marketing “workflows.” It can take one product description and automatically turn it into an email sequence, a blog post, and five LinkedIn ads.
Discord: A communication app designed to help people hang out and talk while they do things online—whether that’s gaming, studying, or just chatting.
ElevenLabs: The undisputed champion of AI Voice. It can clone your voice with terrifying accuracy or generate professional narration in over 30 languages.
Gamma: The fastest way to build presentations. You give it a topic, and it generates a fully designed, 10-slide deck with images and charts in seconds.
Gemini (Google): The king of integration. It uses Nano Banana Pro for best-in-class image editing and connects natively to your Google Workspace (Docs, Gmail, Drive).
Google Veo 3.1: Currently the top-rated AI video generator. It creates 4K cinematic clips with native synchronized audio, filling the gap left by the recent shutdown of OpenAI’s Sora.
Grammarly: An AI-powered writing assistant that acts like a real-time editor. Most people think of it as just a “spell checker,” but it actually dives much deeper into the context and tone of your writing. It works as a browser extension, a desktop app, or a mobile keyboard, meaning it can follow you from your emails to your Google Docs and even your social media posts.
Jasper AI: It’s built for marketing teams and is excellent at learning your specific “Brand Voice.” If you need 50 social media posts that all sound like your company, Jasper is the tool.
Lovable: (formerly known as GPT Engineer) is a high-end AI app builder designed to turn natural language descriptions into fully functional, “production-ready” web application
Midjourney V7: The gold standard for artistic, high-fidelity AI art. It has moved beyond Discord into a sleek web interface with powerful “character consistency” tools.
NotebookLM (Google): A “private” AI for your own data. You upload 50 PDFs or notes, and it becomes an expert on your info, even generating “Audio Overviews” that sound like a podcast about your notes.
NovelAI: A favorite for fantasy and sci-fi writers. It’s excellent at world-building and maintaining “lore” (keeping track of your fictional history and magic systems) so the AI doesn’t forget your protagonist’s eye color ten chapters later.
Perplexity AI: It searches the live web and provides cited, footnoted answers, essentially acting as a research librarian.
Paperpal: Specifically designed for researchers and students. It helps with academic formalization, ensuring your tone is professional and your citations are accurate.
Sudowrite: Often called “the secret weapon for novelists.” It doesn’t just write for you; it helps you brainstorm plot twists, expand on sensory descriptions (like what a room smells like), and “rewrite” scenes in different emotional tones.
Suno: The leader in AI music. You can generate full 2-minute songs (vocals and all) just by describing the “vibe” or providing lyrics
Writer: This is the “safe” corporate choice. It focuses on AI Compliance—meaning it ensures your writing follows legal guidelines and internal style guides. It’s widely used in banking and healthcare.