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Introduction

Intorduction to AI

What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

AI is an umbrella term for a group of technologies that enable computers to perform tasks without specific instructions. AI is used in a number of settings and situations to help humans to solve problems and speed up routine activities.

What is Generative AI?

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that enables machines to create images, music, video, or text on their own, without being explicitly programmed to create any given output.  The system is trained on a large dataset of examples, and it can generate new examples that are similar to the ones it was trained on.


For example, ChatGPT is a Generative AI tool that generates responses to written prompts from a user.  It has access to a large set of historical data from the internet and books, and can write essays, answer questions, and generate computer code.

 

University of South Australia. (2023, July 26). Generative AI explained by UniSA Online [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/71-NOcQnF8w

Are you AI literate?

Like any other tool, there are appropriate and inappropriate ways to use generative AI technology when it comes to learning.  This means there are some important limitations defined by instructions, rules and expectations around the use of these tools.  Learning when and how to use these tools appropriately will equip you with an emerging set of skills called AI literacy.