Age-appropriate AI definitions with clear examples. Filter by audience to find the right level.
Simple words for young learners. Every term includes a short example.
A smart tool that follows rules people wrote to help with tasks.
Example: A voice helper on a phone uses AI to answer questions.
Something that helps us do a job. Pencils, calculators, and apps are all tools.
Example: A calculator is a tool that helps with math.
Something or someone that makes a task easier or faster.
Example: Spell-check is a helper that finds spelling mistakes.
The words we give the computer to tell it what to do.
Example: "Draw me a red dog" is a prompt.
To look again and make sure something is right before using it.
Example: We check an answer with a book or a trusted grown-up.
When we decide what to do. People always make the important choices.
Example: You choose what to ask and what to do with the answer.
A device that does work. Computers and phones are machines.
Example: A washing machine washes clothes so people don't have to by hand.
Instructions that tell a machine what to do and how to do it.
Example: A stop sign is a rule — it tells drivers what to do.
Concrete definitions with everyday examples for upper elementary learners.
A type of program that uses patterns from lots of examples to answer questions or help with tasks.
Example: AI helps apps recognize your face or suggest what video to watch next.
Something that repeats in a predictable way. AI learns by finding patterns.
Example: AI noticed that people who like one song often like similar songs.
The question or instruction you give an AI tool. Clearer prompts give better answers.
Example: "List 3 facts about wolves" is a prompt.
Information. AI uses huge amounts of data to learn how to respond.
Example: Millions of photos helped AI learn what a cat looks like.
When AI gives a wrong or confusing answer. It happens — that's why we check.
Example: AI once said a fish could live on land. It couldn't — that was a mistake.
Looking at an answer again to see if it makes sense before using it.
Example: You check an AI answer the same way you'd check with an encyclopedia.
Something that helps you get a job done. AI is a digital tool.
Example: A calculator is a tool for math. AI is a tool for information and writing.
A starting point for thinking. AI can give you ideas, but your thinking comes first.
Example: AI gave three ideas for a story. You picked one and wrote it yourself.
Vocabulary for understanding how AI works and using it responsibly.
A computer system that uses data and patterns to generate responses or complete tasks.
Example: ChatGPT uses AI to generate text responses to your questions.
AI that creates new content — text, images, code — based on a prompt.
Example: Ask AI to write a poem and it generates one. That's generative AI.
When AI outputs favor certain groups, viewpoints, or results due to patterns in training data.
Example: If AI was trained mostly on one type of writing, it may write in that style more often.
Verifying information by checking it against reliable sources. Required with AI content.
Example: AI said a volcano erupted in 1940. You checked a reliable source — it was 1980.
Using AI in ways that support learning, follow school policies, and respect others.
Example: Using AI to brainstorm, then writing the report yourself.
The instruction or question you give an AI. Better prompts lead to more useful responses.
Example: "Summarize photosynthesis for a 7th grader in 3 sentences" is a clear prompt.
Acting honestly and consistently with your values, even when no one is checking.
Example: Telling your teacher you used AI is part of integrity.
Work that reflects your own thinking, ideas, and effort — with or without AI support.
Example: An essay where you used AI to brainstorm but wrote and edited it yourself.
High school vocabulary for ethics, prompting, and critical evaluation of AI.
A set of rules a computer follows to complete a task or make a decision.
Example: The algorithm that decides what content appears in your social media feed.
A type of AI where systems learn patterns from data rather than following fixed rules.
Example: Email spam filters learn to identify spam by studying thousands of spam examples.
Systematic patterns in AI that favor or disadvantage certain groups or perspectives.
Example: Facial recognition tools have shown lower accuracy for darker skin tones due to training data bias.
Who created or is responsible for a piece of work. Complicated when AI contributes.
Example: If AI wrote 80% of your essay, questions about authorship are real and important.
Crediting a source for ideas or content that isn't yours — including AI-generated content.
Example: "This section was drafted with assistance from ChatGPT and revised by the author."
Whether a source or claim can be trusted. AI output is not automatically credible.
Example: AI cited a study that doesn't exist. That's a credibility problem.
Being transparent about how AI was used in creating work.
Example: A student noting in their project that AI was used to generate an outline.
Human review and judgment applied to AI outputs before acting on or sharing them.
Example: Reading and editing every AI-drafted sentence before submitting it as work.
Professional and academic vocabulary for AI literacy in higher education contexts.
A type of AI trained on massive amounts of text to predict and generate language.
Example: GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini are all large language models.
When an AI confidently generates false information that sounds plausible.
Example: AI cited a real journal but fabricated the article title, authors, and conclusions.
The practice of designing effective prompts to guide AI toward useful, targeted outputs.
Example: Specifying format, audience, length, and context in a prompt is prompt engineering.
The text, images, or other data used to teach an AI model how to respond.
Example: LLMs are trained on books, websites, and other text from across the internet.
A unit of text (roughly a word or word fragment) that LLMs process one at a time.
Example: The word "learning" is one token. "AI" is one token. "unbelievable" might be 3 tokens.
The amount of text an AI model can "see" and consider at one time.
Example: A model with a small context window forgets earlier parts of a long conversation.
Using AI in ways that are honest, transparent, and consistent with course expectations.
Example: Following a professor's AI policy and disclosing any AI assistance in submitted work.
Applying expert judgment to review, verify, and take responsibility for AI outputs.
Example: A researcher using AI to summarize sources and then verifying every claim against originals.
Terms useful for educators designing AI literacy instruction.
The ability to understand, use, evaluate, and make decisions about AI in an informed way.
Example: Teaching students to fact-check AI outputs is a component of AI literacy.
AI that produces new content — text, images, code, audio — based on input.
Example: ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot are generative AI tools widely used by students.
Function, Objective, Context, User, Specifics — a structured prompting method.
Example: A teacher uses FOCUS to model how to craft a purposeful AI prompt.
Recognize, Examine, Allow, Develop, Your thinking — a responsible use decision tool.
Example: Students use READY to decide whether AI is appropriate for a specific task.
Adjusting content, process, or product to meet diverse learner needs.
Example: Providing visual supports and sentence starters for early learners.
Universal Design for Learning — a framework for flexible, inclusive instruction.
Example: Offering printed and digital versions of an activity supports UDL principles.
No technical background needed. Plain explanations for family conversations.
Software that uses patterns from lots of data to respond to questions or help with tasks. It does not think like a person.
Example: Voice assistants like Siri and Alexa use AI to understand what you say and respond.
A type of AI that creates new text, images, or other content based on what you ask it.
Example: When a student asks an AI tool to write an essay, that's generative AI in action.
The question or instruction a person types to an AI tool.
Example: Typing "Give me 5 ideas for a birthday party" into an AI tool is a prompt.
When AI confidently gives an answer that sounds right but is actually wrong.
Example: AI stated that a local business had specific hours — it was wrong. Always check.
Using AI in ways that are honest, follow school rules, and support real learning.
Example: Using AI to brainstorm ideas but writing the homework yourself.
Asking questions, checking answers, and not accepting information without thinking about it.
Example: Reading an AI answer and asking: "Does this actually make sense?"
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