Continuously updated · AI Dictionary
The language of AI,
clearly defined.
A field guide to the words changing how we build, work and think—from token and transformer to AI agents and vibe coding.
542 terms
10 topics
1847–2026 timeline
Built as a living reference
Clear words. Useful context.
01
Plain English firstThe definition comes before the jargon.
02
Usage over hypeEstablished meanings are separated from new or informal ones.
03
Show the trailSources appear on entries as they are reviewed.
Latest update · October 2026
New in the AI Dictionary
Fresh language for the newest shifts in AI, explained without the jargon.
cognitive surrender
the uncritical adoption of an AI system's answer, recommendation, or reasoning as one's own judgment, with little independent scrutiny or verification
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headless software
software whose core functions can run without a dedicated graphical user interface and be controlled programmatically; in AI systems, APIs, command-line commands, or agent protocols let an AI agent use those functions without clicking through screens
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compaction smuggling
an attack that steers an AI system's context-compaction step to encode protected information, such as a model's hidden reasoning, inside a portable compacted context so that another model or later step can reproduce the information
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WebAI
a proposed web standard and set of browser APIs that let websites and extensions use artificial intelligence models running locally on a user's device instead of sending each request to a cloud AI service
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