Generative AI

Plain English

AI that creates things.

Definition

Generative AI refers to systemsglossary×SystemA system is a collection of interconnected components that work together to achieve a specific function or outcome.Open glossary term→ that create new content such as text, images, or code based on learned patternsglossary×PatternA pattern is a reusable solution to a design problem that recurs across products and contexts. It captures an approach already shown to work, so a team solves the problem once rather than every time it appears.Open glossary term→ from dataglossary×DataData is raw, uninterpreted information collected and stored so it can be analysed, processed, or used to inform decisions. On its own it carries no meaning; context and interpretation are what make it useful.Open glossary term→.

In practice

Used for content creation, design assistance, coding, and automationglossary×AutomationAutomation is the use of technology to perform tasks with minimal human intervention.Open glossary term→ of creative tasks.

In context

It changes the economics of producing a first draft and leaves the cost of judging one unchanged. Teams that plan for the first and not the second end up with more to review than they had to write.

The reality

Output qualityglossary×Output QualityOutput quality is how accurate, useful, and relevant a produced result is for the task it was meant to serve. It covers more than correctness, taking in tone, format, and whether the result can actually be acted on.Open glossary term→ varies and often requires human review and refinementglossary×RefinementRefinement is the ongoing work of clarifying, breaking down, and sizing backlog items before they enter development. It is where ambiguity gets resolved while resolving it is still cheap.Open glossary term→.

Compared with