Generative AI is an umbrella term for any kind of automated process that uses algorithms to produce, manipulate, or synthesize data, often in the form of images or human-readable text. It's called generative because the AI creates something that didn't previously exist. That's what makes it different from discriminative AI, which draws distinctions between different kinds of input. To say it differently, discriminative AI tries to answer a question like "Is this image a drawing of a rabbit or a lion?" whereas generative AI responds to prompts like "Draw me a picture of a lion and a rabbit sitting next to each other." This article introduces you to generative AI and its uses with popular models like ChatGPT and DALL-E.

Humans have designed a range of tools to aid us in the creation of art, and they've evolved dramatically over time. The creative person's tool kit has recently grown with the addition of a formidable new tool: text-to-image generators powered by artificial intelligence. The possibilities of what this novel technology can be used to create are in many ways endless, but that wide range of potential comes at a cost. While some images -- whether cartoon-like doodles or highly realistic scenes that resemble real photographs -- may be creative or inspiring, others could in some cases be harmful or dangerous. When a user enters a handful of key words, these models generate images that combine those concepts in novel ways.