Learn the basics of generative AI

The AI Literacy Lab

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Republished from The AI Literacy Lab.

The AI Literacy Lab is an interdisciplinary collaboration of educators and researchers investigating the implications of generative AI for teaching, learning, and scholarly inquiry.

Generative AI is reshaping the world, one image, paragraph, and data point at a time. Whether you’re a curious newcomer, an educator trying to keep up with the latest trends, or a student dipping your toes into artificial intelligence, you’re in the right place. Let’s unpack what generative AI actually is, why it matters, and how you can begin your learning journey with a few hand-picked videos.

What is generative AI?

Generative AI refers to a class of artificial intelligence that can create new content like text, images, music, code, and more. Think of it as a creative partner trained on vast amounts of data. These systems learn patterns, styles, and structures, and then use that knowledge to generate novel outputs that often feel surprisingly human-like.

Why should you care?

Generative AI isn’t just a tech trend, it’s a shift in how we produce knowledge, express creativity, and interact with machines. For educators, it’s reshaping pedagogy. For students, it’s changing how assignments are written and evaluated. For researchers, it’s opening up new methods of inquiry, simulation, and communication.

How do you use generative AI?

Prompt design is crucial when using generative AI because the quality of your prompt directly shapes the relevance, clarity, and creativity of the AI’s response. Well-crafted prompts help you guide generative AI more effectively, turning it into a powerful tool for learning, research, and problem-solving.

Developing AI literacy

Understanding the basics isn’t just about staying relevant; it’s about becoming literate in a rapidly evolving digital world. AI literacy is now a key component of digital citizenship, academic integrity, and lifelong learning.

Want to learn more? These posts are a good start: