TechCrunch publishes a plain-English glossary of common AI terms

In short: TechCrunch has published and is regularly updating a glossary that explains common AI terms in plain English.

What happened

TechCrunch AI published a guide that defines many of the words and abbreviations people now see in AI news and product ads. The article is designed as a “living” glossary, meaning it will be updated over time as new terms show up.

The glossary covers a wide range of topics, from big ideas like AGI (a proposed type of AI that could do many tasks at or above human level) to everyday terms used in current tools. It also explains practical concepts such as an “AI agent,” which is software that can take steps for you, like booking tickets or filing expenses (like a digital assistant that can actually click buttons).

It includes definitions for “large language model” or LLM (the type of AI behind chatbots like ChatGPT), “hallucination” (when an AI makes something up), and “training” versus “inference” (training is like studying, inference is like taking the test). Other entries explain ideas like “API endpoints,” described as hidden buttons that other software can press, and “tokens,” the small chunks of text AI systems process.

Why it matters

AI tools are now used at work, in schools, and in everyday apps, but the language around them can be confusing. A simple glossary helps people understand what companies are claiming, what a tool can really do, and where the risks are, especially when AI can produce confident but wrong answers.

Source: TechCrunch AI