Navigating AI: A Beginner’s Glossary

Madhumita Mantri
4 min readJan 4, 2024

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Welcome to the world of artificial intelligence (AI) and data products! This glossary is the trusty compass, ready to guide through the alphabet of AI terms. Let’s crack the code and make sense of it all, together!

Algorithms: Think of them as recipes for machines. These step-by-step instructions guide computers through learning and problem-solving tasks, from recognizing faces to predicting the weather.

Big Data: It’s not just music library overflowing. Big data refers to massive, complex datasets that traditional methods can’t handle. Imagine oceans of information from millions of users, sensors, and devices!

Chatbots: Friendly (or sometimes sassy) virtual assistants on websites and apps. They use clever tricks like natural language processing (NLP) to understand your questions and chat with you like a real person (usually).

Data Science: The cool kids on the block, data scientists blend statistics, programming, and creativity to uncover hidden patterns and insights from that big data ocean. They’re like treasure hunters in the digital world!

Ethics in AI: As AI gets smarter, making sure it’s used responsibly is crucial. AI ethics asks big questions like “should robots have emotions?” and “can algorithms be biased?” to ensure fair and ethical development.

Feature Engineering: Turning raw data into delicious treats for your AI model. It involves cleaning, organizing, and transforming data into formats the machine can understand and learn from. Imagine chopping vegetables before cooking!

General AI: The holy grail of AI, it’s a machine that can think and learn like a human, mastering any intellectual task we throw at it. We’re still on the quest, but the future looks promising!

Hyperparameter: Think of these as the knobs and dials on your AI model. Tweaking them just right can improve its performance, like adjusting the oven temperature for perfect cookies.

Intent: What’s the user REALLY trying to do when they interact with your AI? Understanding intent is key for chatbots and other NLP applications to give helpful and relevant responses.

Jupyter Notebook: Your playground for data exploration and experimentation. This interactive environment lets you code, analyze data, and visualize results, all in one place. Think of it as your AI lab notebook!

KPI: Your measuring stick for success. These metrics tell you how well your AI product is performing and whether it’s achieving its goals. Like checking if your cookies are golden brown and yummy!

LLM: Large Language Models are these AI brainiacs that can generate text, translate languages, and even write different kinds of creative content. Think of them as super-powered spellcasters with words!

Machine Learning (ML): The magic sauce of AI. This is where computers learn from data, adapting and improving without explicit programming. It’s like training a puppy to sit, but with algorithms and equations!

NLP: Natural Language Processing teaches computers to understand and speak our language like a native. NLP powers chatbots, voice assistants, and even machines that write poetry!

Overfitting: When your AI gets so good at remembering details in its training data, it forgets how to generalize to new situations. Imagine baking cookies only from one specific recipe, unable to adapt to different ingredients or ovens.

Predictive Analytics: Using data and AI to see into the future. This lets companies predict customer behavior, market trends, or even equipment failures before they happen!

Query: Your question to the AI oracle. Whether you’re asking for weather updates or searching for the best restaurants, queries are how you interact with AI systems.

Reinforcement Learning: Teaching AI the way you train a dog — with rewards and punishments. This powerful technique lets machines learn by trial and error, like mastering a new video game through repeated attempts.

Supervised Learning: Imagine the AI as a student and you as the teacher. This learning method provides labelled examples, like showing a child pictures of apples and saying “apple” repeatedly.

Training Data: The fuel for your AI engine. This massive dataset is what the machine learns from, influencing its behavior and decisions. Think of it as the ingredients for your cookie recipe!

Unsupervised Learning: When the AI is left to explore the data ocean on its own, looking for patterns and relationships without any teacher or labels. Imagine letting a curious explorer wander a new land and discover uncharted territories!

Visualization: Seeing is believing! It’s about transforming data into visual formats like charts and graphs, making it easier to understand and share insights.

Navigating AI might seem daunting, but with this glossary by your side, you’ve got the first bite out of the apple! Remember, curiosity and a willingness to learn are crucial assets

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Madhumita Mantri
Madhumita Mantri

Written by Madhumita Mantri

I write about How to Empower Data and AI Innovation with 0 to 1 Product Mastery and Product Management Interview prep, Career Transition to PM!

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