What is generative AI?
Understanding generative AI
Generative AI refers to algorithms that can generate new content, such as text, images, music, or code, based on the data they have been trained on. These systems, including popular models like GPT-4, can create human-like text, making them powerful tools for various applications.
Types of generative AI models
- Language models/LLMs: These models, such as GPT-4, are trained on vast amounts of text data and can generate coherent and contextually relevant text. They can write essays, answer questions, summarize information, and even engage in conversations.
- Image generators: Models like DALL-E create images from textual descriptions, allowing users to generate visual content from scratch.
- Music and audio generators: These models can compose music or generate sound effects based on given parameters.
- Code generators: AI tools like GitHub Copilot assist in writing code by suggesting snippets and completing code blocks based on the context provided by the user.
How generative AI works
Generative AI models are typically built using neural networks, especially deep learning techniques like transformers. These models learn patterns and structures from their training data. Here’s a simplified overview of how they work:
- Training phase: Generative AI models are trained on large datasets, which could include books, articles, websites, and other text sources. The quality and diversity of the training data significantly impact the model’s performance and versatility. During training, the model learns to predict the next word in a sentence given the previous words, effectively learning the structure and patterns of the language.
- Generation phase: Generative AI models start with a prompt, which is an initial input provided by the user. This could be a word, a sentence, or a more complex instruction. When given a prompt, the model uses its learned knowledge to generate new content that follows the patterns it has seen during training.
This content was developed with the assistance of Open AI’s ChatGPT.