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Welcome to the Artificial Intelligence Literacy LibGuide. This guide is your gateway to understanding and utilizing artificial intelligence in your daily academic activities. Begin with our introductory resources to build a foundation, then advance to advanced research tools, essential policies, and citation guidance to enhance your AI literacy.
The glossary below gives you a general idea of AI related terms. It is provided by CIRCLS (The Center for Integrative Research in Computing and Learning Sciences) and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
A
Algorithm: Algorithms are the “brains” of an AI system and what determines decisions in other words, algorithms are the rules for what actions the AI system takes. Machine learning algorithms can discover their own rules (see Machine learning for more) or be rule-based where human programmers give the rules.
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI): Artificial general intelligence has not yet been realized and would be when an AI system can learn, understand, and solve any problem that a human can.
Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI): AI can solve narrow problems and this is called artificial narrow intelligence. For example, a smartphone can use facial recognition to identify photos of an individual in the Photos app, but that same system cannot identify sounds.
Adaptive Learning: Subject or course material is adjusted based on the performance of the learner. The difficulty of material, the pacing, sequence, type of help given, or other features can be adapted based on the learner’s prior responses.
B
Black Boxes: We call things we don’t understand, “black boxes” because what happens inside the box cannot be seen. Many machine learning algorithms are “black boxes” meaning that we don’t have an understanding of how a system is using features of the data when making their decisions (generally, we do know what features are used but not how they are used)There are currently two primary ways to pull back the curtain on the black boxes of AI algorithms: interpretable machine learning (see definition above) and explainable machine learning (see definition below).
C
Chat-based generative pre-trained transformer (ChatGPT) models: A system built with a neural network transformer type of AI model that works well in natural language processing tasks (see definitions for neural networks and Natural Language Processing below). In this case, the model: (1) can generate responses to questions (Generative); (2) was trained in advance on a large amount of the written material available on the web (Pre-trained); (3) and can process sentences differently than other types of models (Transformer).
Computer Vision: Computer Vision is a set of computational challenges concerned with teaching computers how to understand visual information, including objects, pictures, scenes, and movement (including video). Computer Vision (often thought of as an AI problem) uses techniques like machine learning to achieve this goal.
Critical AI: Critical AI is an approach to examining AI from a perspective that focuses on reflective assessment and critique as a way of understanding and challenging existing and historical structures within AI. Read more about critical AI.
D
Data: Data are units of information about people or objects that can be used by AI technologies.
Deep Learning: Deep learning models are a subset of neural networks. With multiple hidden layers, deep learning algorithms are potentially able to recognize more subtle and complex patterns. Like neural networks, deep learning algorithms involve interconnected nodes where weights are adjusted, but as mentioned earlier there are more layers and more calculations that can make adjustments to the output to determine each decision. The decisions by deep learning models are often very difficult to interpret as there are so many hidden layers doing different calculations that are not easily translatable into English rules (or another human-readable language).
E
Explainable Machine Learning (XML) or Explainable AI (XAI): Researchers have developed a set of processes and methods that allow humans to better understand the results and outputs of machine learning algorithms. This helps developers of AI-mediated tools understand how the systems they design work and can help them ensure that they work correctly and are meeting requirements and regulatory standards.
F
Foundation Models: Foundation Models represent a large amount of data that can be used as a foundation for developing other models. For example, generative AI systems use large language foundation models. They can be a way to speed up the development of new systems, but there is controversy about using foundation models since depending on where their data comes from, there are different issues of trustworthiness and bias. Jitendra Malik, Professor of Computer Science at UC Berkeley once said the following about foundation models: “These models are really castles in the air, they have no foundation whatsoever.”
G
Generative AI (GenAI): A type of machine learning that generates content, currently such as text, images, music, videos, and can create 3D models from 2D input. See ChatGPT definition, ChatGPT is a specific example of GenAI.
H
Human-centered Perspective: A human-centered perspective sees AI systems working with humans and helping to augment human skills. People should always play a leading role in education, and AI systems should not replace teachers.
I
Intelligence Augmentation (IA): Augmenting means making something greater; in some cases, perhaps it means making it possible to do the same task with less effort. Maybe it means letting a human (perhaps teacher) choose to not do all the redundant tasks in a classroom but automate some of them so they can do more things that only a human can do. It may mean other things. There’s a fine line between augmenting and replacing and technologies should be designed so that humans can choose what a system does and when it does it.
Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS): A computer system or digital learning environment that gives instant and custom feedback to students. An Intelligent Tutoring System may use rule-based AI (rules provided by a human) or use machine learning under the hood. By under the hood we mean the underlying algorithms and code that an ITS is built with. ITSs can support adaptive learning.
Interpretable Machine Learning (IML): Interpretable machine learning, sometimes also called interpretable AI, describes the creation of models that are inherently interpretable in that they provide their own explanations for their decisions. This approach is preferable to that of explainable machine learning (see definition below) for many reasons including the fact that we should understand what is happening from the beginning in our systems, rather than try to “explain” black boxes after the fact.
L
Large language models (LLMs) Large language models form the foundation for generative AI (GenAI) systems. GenAI systems include some chatbots and tools including OpenAI’s GPTs, Meta’s LLaMA, xAI’s Grok, and Google’s PaLM and Gemini. LLMs are artificial neural networks. At a very basic level, the LLM detected statistical relationships between how likely a word is to appear following the previous word in their training. As they answer questions or write text, LLM’s use the model of the likelihood of a word occurring to predict the next word to generate. LLMs are a type of foundation model, which are pre-trained with deep learning techniques on massive data sets of text documents. Sometimes, companies include data sets of text without the creator’s consent.
M
Machine Learning (ML): Machine learning is a field of study with a range of approaches to developing algorithms that can be used in AI systems. AI is a more general term. In ML, an algorithm will identify rules and patterns in the data without a human specifying those rules and patterns. These algorithms build a model for decision making as they go through data. (You will sometimes hear the term machine learning model.) Because they discover their own rules in the data they are given, ML systems can perpetuate biases. Algorithms used in machine learning require massive amounts of data to be trained to make decisions.
It’s important to note that in machine learning, the algorithm is doing the work to improve and does not have the help of a human programmer. It is also important to note three more things. One, in most cases the algorithm is learning an association (when X occurs, it usually means Y) from training data that is from the past. Two, since the data is historical, it may contain biases and assumptions that we do not want to perpetuate. Three, there are many questions about involving humans in the loop with AI systems; when using ML to solve AI problems, a human may not be able to understand the rules the algorithm is creating and using to make decisions. This could be especially problematic if a human learner was harmed by a decision a machine made and there was no way to appeal the decision.
N
Natural Language Processing (NLP): Natural Language Processing is a field of Linguistics and Computer Science that also overlaps with AI. NLP uses an understanding of the structure, grammar, and meaning in words to help computers “understand and comprehend” language. NLP requires a large corpus of text (usually half a million words).
NLP technologies help in many situations that include: scanning texts to turn them into editable text (optical character recognition), speech to text, voice-based computer help systems, grammatical correction (like auto-correct or grammarly), summarizing texts, and others.
Neural Networks (NN): Neural networks also called artificial neural networks (ANN) and are a subset of ML algorithms. They were inspired by the interconnections of neurons and synapses in a human brain. In a neural network, after data enter in the first layer, the data go through a hidden layer of nodes where calculations that adjust the strength of connections in the nodes are performed, and then go to an output layer.
R
Robots: Robots are embodied mechanical machines that are capable of doing a physical task for humans. “Bots” are typically software agents that perform tasks in a software application (e.g., in an intelligent tutoring system they may offer help). Bots are sometimes called conversational agents. Both robots and bots can contain AI, including machine learning, but do not have to have it. AI can help robots and bots perform tasks in more adaptive and complex ways.
S
Self-attention mechanism: These mechanisms, also referred to as attention help systems determine the important aspects of input in different ways. There are several types and were inspired by how humans can direct their attention to important features in the world, understand ambiguity, and encode information.
T
Transformer models: Used in GenAI (the T stands for Transformer), transformer models are a type of language model. They are neural networks and also classified as deep learning models. They give AI systems the ability to determine and focus on important parts of the input and output using something called a self-attention mechanism to help.
Training Data: This is the data used to train the algorithm or machine learning model. It has been generated by humans in their work or other contexts in their past. While it sounds simple, training data is so important because the wrong data can perpetuate systemic biases. If you are training a system to help with hiring people, and you use data from existing companies, you will be training that system to hire the kind of people who are already there. Algorithms take on the biases that are already inside the data. People often think that machines are “fair and unbiased” but this can be a dangerous perspective. Machines are only as unbiased as the human who creates them and the data that trains them. (Note: we all have biases! Also, our data reflect the biases in the world.)1
U
User Experience Design/User Interface Design (UX/UI): User-experience/user-interface design refers to the overall experience users have with a product. These approaches are not limited to AI work. Product designers implement UX/UI approaches to design and understand the experiences their users have with their technologies.
Algorithms of oppression : how search engines reinforce racism by 
Algorithms to live by : the computer science of human decisions by AI education courses cover a wide range of topics, from basic understanding to in-depth machine learning algorithms and neural network architectures. Depending on your current level of expertise, different courses might suit you better. Here's a list categorized based on levels of expertise:
Beginner Level
AI For Everyone Ng (Coursera) - This course is aimed at non-technical people to understand AI concepts, terms, and applications.
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) by IBM (Coursera) - A course introducing basic AI concepts, including machine learning, neural networks, and deep learning.
Machine Learning Crash Course with TensorFlow APIs by Google – A self-study guide to machine learning fundamentals.
Elements of AI - A free online course provided by the University of Helsinki and Reaktor, designed to educate the public on basic AI principles and thinking.
Intermediate Level
Machine Learning by Andrew Ng (Coursera) - A popular course that dives into algorithmic sides of machine learning including supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and best practices in machine learning.
Deep Learning Specialization (Coursera) - Also led by Andrew Ng, provides deeper insights into neural networks, structuring machine learning projects, and working on hands-on projects.
AI Programming with Python Nanodegree (Udacity) - Ideal for those who want to learn Python and apply it in AI algorithms.
Fast.ai Courses - Free courses focusing on practical deep learning applications.
Advanced Level
Advanced Machine Learning Specialization (Coursera) - Offered by the Higher School of Economics (HSE) with a focus on advanced topics like reinforcement learning, deep learning, natural language understanding.
Reinforcement Learning Specialization by the University of Alberta (Coursera) - A series of courses that go deeper into reinforcement learning.
Natural Language Processing Specialization(Coursera) - Provided by the National Research University Higher School of Economics, for advanced learners interested in the intersection of AI and linguistics.
Specialized Areas
Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp with R and Python (Udemy) - Ideal for those interested in learning data science alongside machine learning.
Applied Data Science with Python Specialization (Coursera) - Focusing on applications of data science using Python.
Deep Reinforcement Learning Nanodegree (Udacity) - For learning state-of-the-art deep reinforcement learning algorithms.
AI for Healthcare (Udacity) - Focusing on the application of AI in the healthcare sector.
Miscellaneous
There are also other educational platforms and resources such as:
Kaggle - Not just for data science competitions, but also a place to find micro-courses on machine learning, data science, and AI.
MIT OpenCourseWare - For advanced learners, MIT OCW offers materials from actual MIT courses.
edX - Offers micro-masters and professional certificate programs in AI and machine learning from top universities.
Remember that AI is a rapidly evolving field, and staying updated requires continuous learning. Additionally, many courses were created in collaboration with industry professionals, so they often include hands-on projects where you can apply what you learn on real-world problems. Before enrolling in a course, check for the most recent reviews and the course's update date to ensure the content is current with the latest AI advancements and technologies.
