AI Guides
In-depth, plain-English explanations of artificial intelligence, organised by topic. New guides are added regularly.
Foundations: What is AI?
- A Brief History of AI: From Turing to ChatGPT
A short, plain-English history of artificial intelligence: key milestones from Alan Turing and the 1956 Dartmouth workshop to deep learning and ChatGPT.
- AI vs Machine Learning vs Deep Learning: What's the Difference?
AI vs machine learning vs deep learning explained simply. Clear definitions, how they nest inside each other, and an easy analogy to tell them apart.
- Narrow AI vs General AI (AGI): What's the Difference?
Narrow AI vs general AI explained in plain English. What today's AI can actually do, what AGI would mean, and how close we really are to human-level AI.
- Types of AI Explained: The Main Categories Made Simple
The main types of AI explained simply: narrow vs general AI, the four-stage capability model, and how machine learning, deep learning, and generative AI fit in.
- What is a Neural Network? A Beginner's Guide
Neural networks explained in plain English: what they are, how artificial neurons and layers work together to learn, and why they power modern AI.
- What is AI? A Plain-English Guide to Artificial Intelligence
A clear, beginner-friendly explanation of what artificial intelligence (AI) is, how it works, the main types, real-world examples, and what it can and can't do.
- What is Deep Learning? A Plain-English Explanation
Deep learning explained simply: what it is, how neural networks with many layers learn from data, why it powers modern AI, and everyday examples.
- What is Generative AI? Examples and How It Works
Generative AI explained simply: what it is, how it creates text, images, and audio, popular examples like ChatGPT, and its strengths and risks.
- What is Machine Learning? A Simple Explanation
Machine learning explained in plain English: what it is, how it works, the main types (supervised, unsupervised, reinforcement), and everyday examples.
- What is the Turing Test? The Classic Test for Machine Intelligence
The Turing test explained simply: what Alan Turing proposed in 1950, how the imitation game works, its criticisms, and whether modern AI has passed it.