A shared language for AI.

Generative AI

AI that produces content such as text, images or code in response to input. Generated output may be inaccurate.

Prompt

Instructions and context given to an AI system to guide its response.

Prompt engineering

The practice of structuring and refining instructions, context and constraints for a specific task.

Large language model (LLM)

A model trained on large amounts of data to process and generate language. Fluent output is not proof of correctness.

AI agent

A system that uses an AI model with tools to take steps toward a task. Its permissions and actions should be explicitly controlled.

AI automation

A workflow that uses AI to carry out one or more process steps, with appropriate checks and exception handling.

Hallucination

An AI-generated statement that appears plausible but is unsupported, false or inconsistent with the source.

Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)

An approach that retrieves relevant information and provides it as context for generation. Retrieval does not guarantee a correct answer.

Human in the loop

A workflow with explicit human review or approval at defined points.

AI governance

Rules, responsibilities and review processes for how an organization selects and uses AI.

AI literacy

Practical understanding of AI capabilities, limitations and responsible use.

Evaluation

A structured check of an AI system’s outputs or behavior against relevant criteria and representative examples.

A prompt gives instructions and context to an AI model. A workflow surrounds that interaction with inputs, review and a next action. Retrieval can supply approved reference material; evaluation checks whether the resulting answer meets the task’s requirements. Governance defines who owns those choices and which uses are acceptable.

An agent adds the ability to take steps using tools. That makes permissions and approval boundaries particularly important. Calling a workflow an agent does not establish that it is more useful, more autonomous or safer than a simpler design.