AI can feel like a moving target, with new terms and concepts showing up every week. Here’s our collection of plain-English explainers, so you can actually understand what’s going on without wading through jargon or hype.

Start With the Basics

• What Is AI? Simple Explanation for Beginners
• What Is Machine Learning? A Simple Explanation for Beginners
• What Is Generative AI? A Simple Explanation for Beginners
• What Is a Large Language Model (LLM)? A Simple Explanation for Beginners

How AI Actually Works

• What Is a Neural Network? A Simple Explanation for Beginners
• What Is a Transformer in AI? A Simple Explanation for Beginners
• What Is a Context Window? Why AI Forgets What You Told It
• What Are AI Reasoning Models? Why AI Now Thinks Before It Answers

Using AI Safely and Well

• How to Use AI Safely: A Beginner’s Guide to Protecting Your Privacy
• AI Hallucinations Explained: Why AI Sometimes Gives Wrong Answers
• What Is Prompt Injection? How Hidden Text Can Trick an AI Assistant
• How to Write Better AI Prompts: A Simple Guide for Beginners

Worth remembering: from working around websites, cybersecurity, and digital tools for years, the explainer that helps most isn’t always the newest one. Sometimes it’s going back to a term you thought you already understood and finding out there’s more to it.

Want the tools themselves, not just the concepts? Check out our AI tools for daily work and study, or browse AI Tools for the full list.