The AI words you keep hearing, in plain English. No jargon to explain the jargon.
- AI (artificial intelligence)
- Computer programs that can do things that used to need a person, like writing, answering questions or recognizing pictures. In this course it mostly means chat helpers like Claude and Grok.
- Chatbot or AI assistant
- An AI you talk to by typing or speaking, and it answers back in normal words.
- Claude
- An AI assistant made by a company called Anthropic. Great for writing, explaining long documents and building things like charts and little apps.
- Grok
- An AI assistant made by a company called xAI. Great for what’s happening right now (it searches the web and X live) and for making pictures with Grok Imagine.
- Grok Bot
- A separate xAI app for helpers that do a job for you on a schedule, like a weekly meal plan built from grocery sales. Needs a paid Grok plan.
- Prompt
- What you type to the AI. A good prompt says who it’s for, what you want, the details that matter and the shape of the answer.
- Model
- The “brain” behind an AI app. Companies release new, smarter models every few months. You don’t need to track them.
- Hallucination
- When AI makes something up and says it confidently, like a fake fact or a book that doesn’t exist. The reason to double-check anything important.
- Bias
- When an AI’s answers lean unfairly one way because of what it learned from. Another reason to think for yourself.
- Free plan and paid plan
- Both Claude and Grok are free to start. Paid plans let you use them more each day and unlock extra features.
- Usage limit
- How much you can use the AI before it asks you to wait. Free plans hit it sooner.
- Project
- A folder in Claude or Grok where the AI remembers instructions and files for one part of your life, like “Homeschool” or “My shop.”
- Custom instructions or personal preferences
- A spot in settings where you tell the AI about yourself once, so it uses that in every chat. Your family profile goes here.
- Memory
- When an AI app remembers things from past chats. You can usually see, edit or turn it off in settings.
- Upload or attachment
- A photo or file you give the AI to look at, like a school flyer, a recipe or a bill.
- Voice mode
- Talking to the AI out loud instead of typing. Handy while you cook or drive.
- Connector
- A link between an AI and another app you use, like Gmail or Google Calendar, so it can look things up there for you.
- Image generation
- When AI makes a picture from your description. Grok Imagine does this.
- Deepfake
- A fake photo, video or voice made with AI to look like a real person. The reason to have a family code word.
- Artifact
- Something Claude builds that you can see and use right in the chat, like a chart, a printable or a small app.
- Digital product
- Something people buy and download instead of getting in the mail, like a printable planner or a set of worksheets. What you’ll build in Module 5.
