- App / Platform / UI
- The product you are using and the parts you can see and click. ChatGPT is a product; its chat window, menus, and buttons are its interface.
- Model
- The AI “brain” doing the work behind the product. Changing the model can change how the AI responds, even inside the same app.
- Project / Workspace
- A place where related chats, files, and instructions stay together. What it can remember or share depends on the product.
- Thread / Chat / Conversation
- The conversation you are having with the AI. It can include messages, files, links, decisions, and other work you build together.
- Pinned Thread / Pinned Chat
- A chat you keep near the top so it is easy to find. Pinning does not improve the AI’s memory.
- Archived Chat
- A chat removed from the main list without being deleted. Archiving is an organization feature, not memory.
- Chat Box / Message Box
- The box where you type what you want the AI to answer or do. You do not need special prompt language to use it.
- Context
- The information the AI has available to work with right now, such as messages, files, instructions, or information retrieved through tools.
- Context Window
- The limit on how much information the AI can actively work with at once. A larger limit does not guarantee perfect memory.
- Memory
- Information an AI product may carry into later conversations. What is remembered depends on the product and your settings.
- Prompt
- What you ask or tell the AI to do. A prompt can be detailed, or as simple as “Explain this in plain English.”
- Hallucination
- When AI makes something up or gives unsupported information and presents it like it is true. Important answers still need verification.
- Agent
- AI that can take multiple steps or use tools to complete a task. It is still limited by its information, tools, permissions, and environment.
- Connector
- A feature that lets an AI product work with another service, with permission. What it can access depends on the connector and the action.
When the AI starts speaking alien
You are allowed to tell the AI that you do not understand it. You do not need to decode technical language before you can continue the conversation.
Try one of these:
Explain that again in plain English. Assume I don’t know the technical terminology.
Stop using AI and technical jargon. Tell me what this means in normal workplace language.
I don’t understand any of that. Start over.
You can also interrupt with:
- Too technical.
- Shorter.
- Give me an example.
- What does that word mean?
- Why does this matter to me?
- What part of this do I actually need to know?
- Explain it without using that terminology.
You do not have to understand the AI’s answer before you are allowed to correct it. The AI is supposed to help you understand the subject. You are not required to learn how to speak like the AI first.