AI tools and terms, explained

Plain explainers for the terms and tools that come up on real jobs, answered as dated, sourced FAQs.

An explainer answers one term or one tool in plain words, as a short set of questions and answers rather than a single wall of prose, because that is usually how the question actually arrives: what is this, how is it different from that, do I need to buy anything to try it. Each answer is dated and sourced the same way as every other page in this directory, and a definition that has moved on since it was checked says so rather than being left to quietly date. These pages assume no prior knowledge of the term; the comparison and best-for pages above assume you already know what the tool is and want a verdict.