2.1. What is GenAI?

Classical AI recognizes and classifies. Think of systems that detect spam, plan routes, or make recommendations. They analyze existing data and make decisions or predictions based on that data. Generative AI creates something new. It generates text, images, audio, or code based on an input (also known as a prompt).

Examples include ChatGPT, DALL·E, or MS Copilot. These systems are trained on enormous amounts of data and predict which word or image most logically follows — without truly understanding what they are saying or creating. Want to learn more about such AI tools? Then continue to chapter 4.2 (Which AI tools and models are relevant?).

A handy rule of thumb: classical AI recognizes, generative AI creates.