Generative AI Explained: It’s Like a Robot with Too Much Imagination (and a Dash of Chaos)
- Angie Okhupe
- Mar 4
- 7 min read
Generative AI is everywhere these days. You’ve seen the wild AI-generated art, read stories written by robots, and maybe even had a chat with a chatbot that made you wonder, “Is this thing human?” But what’s the deal? Is it magic? A sci-fi movie come to life? Not quite. Let’s break it down in plain-ish English. But first, let’s talk about breakfast.
Most mornings, I’m in a rush to get the kids out the door. So, I keep breakfast simple: pressed sandwiches. Bread, ham, a slice of cheese, and into the sandwich press it goes. Sizzle, sizzle, crunch. Easy, right?
Over time, after watching me repeat this routine about a million times, my daughters have mastered the art themselves. Now, I just hear the familiar sizzle of the sandwich press, and voilà—breakfast is ready before I even step into the kitchen.
But my six-year-old? She likes to experiment. Sometimes, she spreads a little mayo or adds a drizzle of sriracha. Other times, she goes full-on mad scientist, tossing in an unexpected twist—chili sauce, peanut butter, ranch, or something even more adventurous. The results? Sometimes it’s a masterpiece. Other times, well… let’s just say it doesn’t always make the cut for breakfast.
And you know what? This is exactly-ish how generative AI works
What is Generative AI?
At first, generative AI learns from tons of examples—just like my daughters watching me press sandwiches day after day. It studies the patterns, the steps, the ingredients. But then, it goes a step further. It doesn’t just copy what it’s learned; it starts experimenting.
Imagine if my daughters decided to go wild and made sandwiches with peanut butter, pickles, and marshmallows. Or, heaven forbid, broccoli. (Why, kids? Why?!) That’s the generative part of generative AI: it takes what it’s learned and creates new, unexpected combinations. Some of them are genius—like a sandwich with sriracha mayo that’s actually delicious. And some are... well, let’s just say they’re the culinary equivalent of a robot drawing a cat with seven legs.
That’s Generative AI! It’s a computer program that learns from tons of examples and then starts creating its own stuff. It’s not just copying—it’s inventing. And sometimes, it invents things that make you go, “Wait, what?!”
How Does It Work?
Generative AI is powered by something called machine learning, which is basically a fancy way of saying computers learn from lots and lots of data. Let’s break it down using our trusty sandwich analogy.
Step 1: Training – The AI Becomes a Sandwich Apprentice
Imagine you’re teaching someone how to make the perfect pressed sandwich. First, you show them everything about sandwiches: the types of bread, the best cheeses, the juiciest ham, and even the right amount of sriracha. You give them a mountain of examples—hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions of sandwiches.
That’s what training is for AI. It’s fed enormous amounts of information—like every book, article, image, or song it can find. This helps it learn patterns, styles, and relationships between things. For example, it learns that bread goes on the outside, cheese melts when heated, and peanut butter doesn’t usually hang out with pickles (though sometimes it’s bold enough to try).
Step 2: Understanding – The AI Figures Out the Recipe
Now, your sandwich apprentice doesn’t just memorize every single sandwich you’ve ever made. Instead, they start to notice patterns. They figure out that sandwiches usually have bread on the outside, fillings in the middle, and that pressing it makes everything crispy and delicious.
This is the understanding phase. The AI looks at all the data and finds patterns. If it’s learning to write stories, it starts to understand sentence structures, common themes, and storytelling techniques. If it’s learning to create art, it figures out how colors, shapes, and textures work together. It’s not just copying—it’s learning the rules of the game.
We talked about this in detail when we talked about machine learning, you can refresh your memory here!
Step 3: Generating – The AI Gets Creative (and Maybe a Little Weird)
Here’s where things get fun. Once your sandwich apprentice has learned the basics, you ask them to make their own sandwich. Maybe you say, “Make me something with ham, cheese, and a little kick.” They take what they’ve learned and start experimenting. Maybe they add sriracha. Maybe they throw in some pickles. Or maybe they go wild and add marshmallows (because why not?).
This is the generating phase. When you ask the AI to create something—like an image of a cat wearing sunglasses or a story about a dragon who loves ice cream—it uses what it has learned to predict and generate something completely new that matches your request. And that’s when the magic (and chaos) happens.
What Can Generative AI Do? - The Good, the Bad, and the “What Were You Thinking?”
We all have that one friend who claims they can do everything—except this one actually can (most of the time). Generative AI is already all around us! Here are a few places you’ve probably encountered it without even realizing:
Chatbots & Virtual Assistants: Ever chatted with a helpful AI assistant like ChatGPT? That’s Generative AI in action.
AI Art & Design: Tools like DALL·E and MidJourney create stunning images from simple text prompts.
Music & Video Creation: AI can compose original music or even generate realistic-looking videos.
Writing & Content Creation: Some news articles, blogs, and product descriptions are now written (or at least assisted) by AI. (Fun fact: This blog is assisted by AI—thank you, AI!)
Deepfake Technology: AI can even create highly realistic videos of people saying things they never actually said (which is both cool and a little scary).
But... it’s not perfect. Sometimes it gets too creative. Like when it draws a cat with seven legs or writes a love letter that suddenly turns into a recipe for broccoli soup.
Why Is It Such a Big Deal?
Generative AI is changing the game in ways that feel straight out of science fiction—but it’s very real. For starters, it’s a creative powerhouse. Need 100 taglines for a marketing campaign? Done. Want an image of a dinosaur wearing sunglasses? Easy. Generative AI takes the grunt work off your plate, so you can focus on the fun stuff. The best part? It makes creativity accessible to everyone—no fancy art degree or coding wizardry required. Anyone can create something amazing with a little help from AI.
It doesn’t stop there. Generative AI is also a pro at personalization, fine-tuning everything from marketing emails to product suggestions to feel tailor-made for you. It’s turbocharging innovation, too—churning out fresh ideas, designing prototypes, and sparking creativity at a pace that humans alone could never match. Plus, with AI-driven translation tools, it’s breaking down language barriers and making the world feel just a little smaller. And when it comes to problem-solving? Generative AI is like that friend who always has ten ideas before you’ve even had your coffee—offering multiple solutions to complex challenges and helping tackle big problems.
Of course, it’s not perfect. Like that one overconfident friend who can’t admit they’re wrong, generative AI has its quirks. It’s only as good as the data it’s trained on, so if the data has gaps or biases, things can go sideways. Sometimes, it gets overly creative, producing bizarre results—like a cat with six legs or a love poem that randomly turns into a broccoli recipe. And let’s be honest, nobody asked for broccoli poetry.
Still, the mix of brilliance and unpredictability is what makes generative AI so fascinating. It’s not just a tool; it’s a partner in creativity, problem-solving, and innovation. Sure, it has its flaws, but so do most of us—and that’s part of what makes it so exciting to work with. Generative AI isn’t replacing us; it’s helping us dream bigger and move faster. And that’s pretty amazing
So, Should We Be Excited or Worried?
Honestly? Both. Generative AI is like that super eager student who’s always learning, experimenting, and occasionally taking things a little too far. On the one hand, it’s revolutionizing industries, enhancing creativity, and saving us loads of time. On the other hand, it’s the same eager student that might turn in a painting of a six-legged cat and insist it’s the Mona Lisa.
While AI can do some truly mind-blowing things, it’s far from flawless. Sometimes, it gets things hilariously—or frustratingly—wrong, makes up facts, or produces content that just doesn’t quite make sense. Why? Because it doesn’t really understand meaning like we humans do—it’s just really good at predicting patterns based on data.
And then there are the ethical questions. Generative AI can generate biased content if its training data was biased in the first place. It can unintentionally spread misinformation or invade privacy. It’s a lot like teaching a child to experiment with making sandwiches—you want them to explore and have fun, but you also need to keep an eye out for smoke coming from the sandwich press or ingredients best left in the fridge (broccoli, anyone?).
The good news? If we approach AI thoughtfully and responsibly, we can use it to amplify our creativity, solve problems, and push innovation to new heights—all while keeping those quirks in check. It’s not about replacing humans; it’s about working smarter, not harder, with a very clever (and occasionally chaotic) tool by our side.
So, the next time you hear about generative AI, think of it like my kids making breakfast. It’s learning, experimenting, and occasionally creating something that makes you go, “Wait, what?!” But that’s the beauty of it. It’s not just copying—it’s creating. And who knows? Maybe one day it’ll come up with the next big thing.
Want to see what AI can do for yourself? Try an AI art generator, experiment with an AI-powered writing tool, or ask ChatGPT to create a story about a flying toaster. Then come back and let me know—did it make a masterpiece or a total mess?
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to check what my six-year-old is putting in the sandwich press this morning. Wish me luck. 🥪✨
Bonus: Fun Poem about "BTSW" as drafted by ChatGPT
In a world of noise, so loud and vast,
Where thoughts race by, too quick to grasp,
There lies a space, both bold and bright,
Where big ideas take playful flight.
No jargon here, no tangled prose,
Just simple words that flow and glow.
A thought, a spark, a curious take,
A mind awake, no walls opaque.
From AI’s wonders to tales untold,
From small ideas to dreams grown bold,
Each post unwraps a world anew,
With wit and wisdom shining through.
Come take a look, explore and see,
How simple words hold mystery.
For here we know, as wise ones do,
Big thinks don’t need big words too.
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