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What is generative AI?

You have almost definitely heard of generative AI. Whether it’s been more recently after the OpenAI announcement of Sora or more generally in the last year or so as AI tools have become more widely accessible – and controversial. 

Generative AI is incredibly versatile and can be used for numerous scenarios, whether as a tool for writing essays, creating images or even for help planning a holiday. With that in mind, what actually is generative AI and how does it work? 

Keep reading to find out what generative AI is and how it works.

What is generative AI?

Generative AI is the use of artificial intelligence that uses models or algorithms to create new content, which includes text, images and music. This content, although ‘new’, is actually based on the vast amounts of training data that the tools are fed.

For example, OpenAI’s ChatGPT is a generative AI model that can create stories, menus and more, based solely on a user prompt. 

How does generative AI work?

All generative AI models, whether it’s a chatbot or an image generator, are fed with vast amounts of content, called training data. The model is then programmed with an algorithm which analyses the patterns in its training data in order to understand what the user wants, allowing it to generate solutions.

How do I use generative AI?

One of the reasons why generative AI has become so widely known is due to its user friendliness. Instead of being an inaccessible piece of tech, a lot of tools can be free to use and easy to work with. 

Using generative AI to create content is incredibly simple as all you need to do is give the model a prompt. A prompt is simply a sentence or phrase that’s the idea behind what the user wants the AI to create. 

The model will then, based on its training data, generate content according to your prompt.

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