The following articles and other resources provide helpful orientation and basic background on what “AI” is, different types and components of AI, and how AI systems work.

Articles

• MIT Tech Review: “What is AI”  July 10, 2024. [Add Brief description]
• MetaLAB (at) Harvard AI Pedagogy Project: “AI Starter” (short and very accessible overview of AI in the context of education)
• ArsTechnica: “A Jargon-Free Explanation of How AI Large Language Models Work” July 31, 2023 [Add Brief Description]
• The Guardian: “How AI Chatbots like ChatGPT or Bard Work — Visual Explainer” November 2024 [Add Brief Description]
• Tim Lee and Sean Trott, Understanding AI: “Large language models, explained with a minimum of math and jargon” June 27, 2023 (“Want to really understand how large language models work? Here’s a gentle primer.”)
• Harry Surden: “ChatGPT, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Large Language Models, and Law,” Fordham Law Review, Vol. 92, 2024 (sections I.B & C and II, pages 1951-66 provide a more-technical but still accessible explanation of the operation of LLMs)
• Bloomberg Law: “Artificial Intelligence for Lawyers Explained” August 1, 2023
• LexisNexis, “AI Terms for Legal Professionals: Understanding What Powers Legal Tech,” March 30, 2023
• AIPRM: “Ultimate Generative AI Glossary: An exhaustive glossary defining key AI-related terms,” from AIPRM, a company that describes itself as “a prompt management tool and community-driven prompt library.”

Videos

• Harry Surden: “How GPT/ChatGPT Work – An Understandable Introduction to the Technology”  April 2023 [Add Brief Description]
• Wharton: “Practical AI for Teachers and Students” (five part video series covering 1) Introduction to AI for Teachers and Students, 2) Large Language Models, 3) Prompting AI, 4) AI for Teachers, 5) AI for Students (updated as of August 2023

Major AI Systems and Legal AI Vendors