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The AI encyclopedia

Every AI app, company, idea and law worth knowing, explained in plain English. Each entry lists its sources and when we last checked it.

4 pagesApps & toolsThe AI products people actually use, from chatbots to image generators, and what they do with your data.4 pagesCompanies & labsWho builds AI, who owns it, and how they make money.4 pagesConceptsThe ideas behind the headlines, explained properly in plain English.2 pagesLaws & policyThe rules for AI around the world: what they require, and when.↧AI timelineKey moments in AI, year by year, from every entry.A–ZQuick glossaryOne-line definitions of the AI words in the news.

All entries A–Z

A

CompanyAnthropicThe AI safety company that makes the Claude family of AI models and the Claude assistant.

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D

ConceptDeepfakeVideo, images or audio created or altered with AI to make it look or sound like a real person did or said something they didn’t.

E

LawEU AI ActThe European Union’s law regulating artificial intelligence by risk level, in force since August 2024 and applying in stages until 2030.

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ConceptHallucination (AI)When an AI system states something false or made up as if it were true, such as fake quotes, sources or numbers.

L

ConceptLarge language model (LLM)A type of AI trained on huge amounts of text to predict the next word, which lets it write, summarize, translate and answer questions.

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O

CompanyOpenAIThe San Francisco AI company behind ChatGPT, run since October 2025 as a public benefit corporation controlled by a nonprofit foundation.

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ConceptPrompt injectionAn attack that hides instructions in text an AI reads, such as a web page or email, so the AI follows the attacker instead of you.