Feeling left behind by all the tech terminology that’s everywhere on the internet, social media, as well as in the workplace?

Ever wondered what the difference is between AR, VR and XR? Or what the GPT in ChatGPT stands for? Know the difference between Pokémon and a Poke bowl?

In anticipation of Rewired conference, we look at some of the most common terms to give you the confidence to know what’s going on in the world of library technology.

This article is featured in the AI hub

AR – Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is when you mix computer generated imagery, text or graphics with the real world. This can be done with specific technology like headsets or google glasses, but even your phone can do this. A well-known example is the game Pokemon Go, which superimposed Pokemon (pocket monster) characters over a phone’s live video for people to capture in the ‘real world’. Apart from gaming, AR has a lot of potential for education.

VR – Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality has been around for a while, but faster and more powerful hardware means that it has become more immersive and realistic than ever. Virtual Reality creates a fully 3d environment often enriched with 3d sounds that people interact with and move around in using a headset, transporting them to completely new worlds.

XR – Extended Reality

Extended Reality (XR) is a broad term that encompasses technologies that enhance or augment the real world through digital means, including VR and AR. XR is being used in various fields, such as gaming, education, training, healthcare, and entertainment. It offers new ways to experience and interact with the world, providing immersive and engaging experiences.

AI – Artificial Intelligence

AI stands for Artificial Intelligence and refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines, especially computer systems. AI systems are designed to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, including text and image creation, problem solving and data analysis. The keyword is simulation – AI does not yet reproduce human intelligence, it uses complex algorithms to identify trends in large datasets to create a synthesis of information that looks real to humans.

GenAI – Generative Artificial Intelligence

Generative AI is used to create outputs that humans can use or understand. Examples of this include images, text, summaries, or other digital products such as websites. Generally text or prompts are used to describe an intended output. It is controversial as its outputs are often drawn from copyrighted data, GenAI cannot come up with anything new, it is entirely restricted by its dataset.

AGI – Artificial General Intelligence

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is a theoretical concept that learns and applies knowledge across a wide range of tasks, just like a human. Unlike AI, which is designed for specific tasks, AGI would be capable of performing any intellectual task that a human can, and would not be a simulation.

GPT - Generative Pre-trained Transformer

GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer. It's a type of neural network architecture used in natural language processing (NLP) tasks. These models are trained on massive amounts of text data to generate human-like text, translate languages, write different kinds of creative content, and answer your questions in an informative way. Often this data requires extensive input from humans to ensure accuracy and avoid hallucinations.

Poke bowl

What we’re serving for lunch at Rewired! Nothing to do with Pokémon, Poke Bowls (pronounced poh-keh, meaning ‘cut’ in Hawaiian) originated in Hawaii and combine different elements, such as protein, rice, fresh vegetables, and a savoury source layered in a bowl. Vegan and Vegetarian versions are also very popular.

LLM – Large Language Model

LLMs are designed specifically for natural language processing tasks. They are trained on massive amounts of text data and are capable of understanding, generating, and translating human language using statistical analysis to identify relationships between letters, words and multiple combinations of letters and words. LLMs as a specialized subset of AI focused on language.

Neural network

A neural network is a machine learning programme, that is designed to make decisions in the same way that a human brain, with its network of neurons, works. Each node in a neural network connects to another and they operate at multiple levels to rapidly classify data. Just like LLMs they need to be trained on large datasets to function properly.

Rewired 2024

Apply this new knowledge and get hands-on experience of how this tech and its underlying concepts affect work and play at Rewired, the tech event for libraries that features a digital solutions lab to play around with latest library tech including an AI surgery, lego robotics and AR, VR and XR from Layers of Reality.

See all the activities on offer and get your ticket now