Words to know
Simple meanings for words you will see in the lessons. Each word links to the lesson that uses it.
- AI (artificial intelligence)
- A computer program that learns from examples. Then it can make guesses, suggestions, and choices.
- Lesson 1: What is AI?
- Bias
- When AI treats some people or things unfairly. It can happen when the AI learned from unfair or incomplete examples.
- Lesson 4: What can AI do, and what can't it?
- Data
- Information, like words, numbers, pictures, and sounds.
- Data center
- A big building full of computers. Many AI systems and websites run in data centers.
- Lesson 7: AI and your future
- Deepfake
- A fake picture, video, or voice made with AI to look or sound real.
- Lesson 5: Using AI safely and kindly
- Fact-check
- Making sure something is true by checking a trusted source, like a good book or website.
- Lesson 5: Using AI safely and kindly
- Made-up answer
- When an AI gives an answer that sounds real but is not true. Grown-ups sometimes call this a hallucination.
- Lesson 2: How does AI learn?
- Model
- What an AI learned during training, saved as a giant list of numbers.
- Lesson 2: How does AI learn?
- NIST
- A U.S. government science agency. It tests some AI systems for safety risks.
- Lesson 6: How do people keep AI safe?
- Pattern
- Something that repeats or follows a rule, like the stripes on a zebra or the days of the week.
- Lesson 1: What is AI?
- Personal information
- Facts about you, like your name, address, school, phone number, or passwords. Keep it private.
- Lesson 5: Using AI safely and kindly
- Prompt
- The question or instructions you give to an AI.
- Red teaming
- Testing an AI by trying, on purpose, to make it misbehave, so the problems can be fixed.
- Lesson 6: How do people keep AI safe?
- Robot
- A machine that can move and do jobs in the real world. Some robots use AI.
- Super Intelligence (SI)
- The name U.S. government agencies use for AI since September 2026. Some people also use "superintelligence" for a possible future AI that is far smarter than people at almost everything.
- Lesson 3: What does "super intelligence" mean?