{"id":3896,"date":"2025-08-04T05:59:02","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T04:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/?p=3896"},"modified":"2026-01-21T09:46:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T09:46:02","slug":"what-is-ai-a-complete-beginners-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/what-is-ai-a-complete-beginners-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"What is AI?: A Complete Beginner&#8217;s Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In 2022, ChatGPT gained 100 million users in just two months and brought AI to the forefront of public discussion. But what exactly is AI?<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_79_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #ffffff;color:#ffffff\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #ffffff;color:#ffffff\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/what-is-ai-a-complete-beginners-guide\/#What_Is_AI\" >What Is AI?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/what-is-ai-a-complete-beginners-guide\/#How_Does_AI_Work\" >How Does AI Work?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/what-is-ai-a-complete-beginners-guide\/#AI_In_The_Everyday\" >AI In The Everyday<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/what-is-ai-a-complete-beginners-guide\/#Why_AI_Is_Important\" >Why AI Is Important<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/what-is-ai-a-complete-beginners-guide\/#How_To_Get_Started_With_AI\" >How To Get Started With AI<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/what-is-ai-a-complete-beginners-guide\/#Frequently_Asked_Questions\" >Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Today we\u2019ll take a look at the definition of AI, how it works and why it\u2019s important, plus everyday uses for AI that you may have taken for granted, and how you can get started using AI without any technical knowledge required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_AI\"><\/span><strong>What Is AI?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>AI (artificial intelligence) is a type of technology that allows computers to identify patterns from data, and then make decisions and perform tasks that usually require human intelligence, often using <a href=\"https:\/\/okara.ai\/ai-models\" title=\"\">open-source AI models<\/a>. If you\u2019ve ever asked Alexa to play a song, or let your phone autocorrect your text, you\u2019ve used AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But AI isn\u2019t a single robot, it\u2019s a whole field of computer science that\u2019s been around for decades. In fact, the term artificial intelligence was coined in the 1950\u2019s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of today\u2019s AI is narrow AI, which means it\u2019s designed to do specific tasks like filtering spam or translating languages. Narrow AI can only do one type of task, but nothing outside of its specialty.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Does_AI_Work\"><\/span><strong>How Does AI Work?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/How-Does-AI-Work.png\" alt=\"How Does AI Work\" class=\"wp-image-3898\" srcset=\"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/How-Does-AI-Work.png 750w, https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/How-Does-AI-Work-300x160.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/the-role-of-ai-in-the-functioning-of-modern-applications\/\" title=\"\">AI works<\/a> very differently from traditional computer programs because unlike a&nbsp; classic program that only does what it&#8217;s explicitly told to do, AI learns from example (an approach called machine learning).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>AI is trained through the feeding of data, rather than programming a set of rules. After accumulating enough data, AI algorithms adjust to get better at a task, essentially learning by example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So if you wanted to teach AI to recognize a photo of a cat, you\u2019d show it thousands of cat photos and over time it would begin spotting patterns and gain the ability to recognize a cat in any given photo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep in mind that AI doesn\u2019t actually think or understand like we do, it just processes data and makes statistically likely predictions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"AI_In_The_Everyday\"><\/span><strong>AI In The Everyday<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AI-In-The-Everyday.png\" alt=\"AI In The Everyday\" class=\"wp-image-3899\" srcset=\"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AI-In-The-Everyday.png 750w, https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AI-In-The-Everyday-300x160.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever used a virtual assistant like Siri or Alexa, you\u2019ve used AI, but there are a few more unexpected ways that AI is integrated into the everyday, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Netflix show suggestions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Spotify\u2019s personalized playlists based on your music taste<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Facebook\u2019s automatic tagging feature<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trulyinbox.com\/blog\/emails-going-to-spam\/\" title=\"\">Email spam filters<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Google Maps traffic data and route updates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Self driving cars<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And that\u2019s just the beginning!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_AI_Is_Important\"><\/span><strong>Why AI Is Important<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Did you know that about three fourths of all companies have adopted AI in some form in <a href=\"https:\/\/thetundradrums.com\/understanding-ai-automation\/\" title=\"\">order to automate<\/a> tedious tasks and help in decision making?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The bottom line is that AI is helpful; it can do things faster, cheaper, and sometimes smarter than was previously thought possible and it\u2019s even helping in fields like medicine or supporting tools such as <a href=\"https:\/\/buyassignmentonline.com\/\" title=\"\">assignment writing services<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With AI we can tackle complex problems and handle tedious everyday tasks. As long as it\u2019s used carefully and ethically, AI has the potential to benefit everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_To_Get_Started_With_AI\"><\/span><strong>How To Get Started With AI<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t need to have any programming skills or technical knowledge to use AI &#8211; if you can type a question into Google you can also interact with AI. In fact, most <a href=\"http:\/\/vear.com\/\">AI platforms<\/a> are extremely user friendly, and all you need to do is input a prompt or question to get responses for everyday tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re a business owner you could have it help you draft copy for a product description, if you\u2019re a student you could have it organize your homework into a helpful timetable. Or you could just have it suggest a few simple meals to make from a list of ingredients in your fridge. The possibilities are endless!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_Asked_Questions\"><\/span><strong>Frequently Asked Questions<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is artificial intelligence the same as machine learning?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Machine learning is a subset of AI that specifically focuses on algorithms learning from data. All machine learning is AI, but not all AI is machine learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do I need programming skills to use AI tools?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Nope &#8211; most AI-powered applications are designed with general users in mind so if you can use a smartphone or a web browser, you can use AI tools.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can AI really think or is it just following instructions?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>AI can mimic thinking by learning patterns and making predictions, but it doesn&#8217;t <strong>think<\/strong> exactly like a human. It lacks self-awareness and true understanding.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will AI take away jobs in the future?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Many experts believe that AI will <strong>augment<\/strong> human work rather than outright replace humans in most roles. There will likely be high demand for people who can build, manage, and work alongside AI systems so being flexible and learning new skills will be key in an AI-influenced job market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s the next big thing in AI?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Generative AI (models that can create text and images) are getting better at producing content. AI is also being built into everyday devices even more, and researchers are constantly focusing on making AI more reliable and less prone to mistakes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AI is a technology that allows computers to identify patterns from data, and make decisions and perform tasks that usually require human intelligence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3897,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3896"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6827,"href":"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3896\/revisions\/6827"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redstaglabs.com\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}