Generative AI (GenAI)
Definition
AI that creates new content — text, images, audio, video, code — rather than simply analysing or organising existing content. When people say "AI" in most everyday conversations, they mean generative AI. ChatGPT generates text. DALL-E generates images. These are all generative AI tools.
Why It Matters
The distinction between generative AI and other types of AI (the kind that recommends your next Netflix show, for instance) is useful for understanding what you're actually using.
What does that look like in practice?
You ask an AI to 'write a limerick about my cat and draw her as an astronaut,' and it produces both. That's generative AI.
What people actually mean when they say this
When someone just says 'AI' these days, they almost always mean generative AI: the tools that produce text, images, or audio on demand.
Last reviewed: March 2026
Knowing the word is just the start.
We help non-tech people go from looking things up to actually using AI confidently. Tutorials, prompts, plain English. All of it, for less than a cup of coffee a month.
Show Me How This Works →Start free. Cancel anytime. No judgment, ever.