Marginaliadaily

Glossary

agent
An AI system that takes several steps toward a goal, often planning, using tools, or calling other models along the way.
backpropagation
The method that works out how much each parameter contributed to the error, so training knows which way to adjust them.
benchmark
A standard test used to compare how well different AI models perform on the same task.
bias
Systematic unfairness in a model, often because the data it learned from was unbalanced, which can mean worse results for some groups of people.
convolution
A small filter slid across an image to pick up local features like edges and textures. The core operation in most vision models.
diffusion model
A way to generate images by starting from pure noise and removing it step by step until a picture appears. The method behind most modern image generators.
embedding
A way of turning words, images, or papers into lists of numbers so a computer can measure how similar they are.
fine-tuning
Taking an already-trained model and training it a bit more on a specific task or style.
generative model
A model that creates new content, such as images or text, rather than sorting or scoring things that already exist.
gradient descent
The basic training loop: nudge the model a tiny step in the direction that lowers its error, then repeat many times.
hallucination
When an AI states something false with confidence. Common in language models because they predict fluent text, not verified facts.
inference
Actually using a trained model to make a prediction or generate an answer (as opposed to training it).
neural network
A model loosely inspired by the brain, made of layers of simple units that pass numbers to each other to learn patterns.
overfitting
When a model memorises its training examples instead of the general pattern, so it looks great in practice and fails on anything new.
parameter
One of the adjustable numbers inside a model. Big models have billions of them.
reinforcement learning
Learning by trial and error: an agent takes actions, gets rewards, and works out a strategy that earns more reward.
tokenization
Splitting text into the small chunks, called tokens, that a language model actually reads. A token is often a word piece, not a whole word.
training
The process of showing a model many examples and nudging its internal numbers until it gets good at a task.
transformer
A neural-network design that learns which parts of the input to pay attention to. It powers most modern language models.