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Beginner guide

Beginner Glossary

Facts last checked October 17, 2026 · About a 3-minute read

New words can make AI feel harder than it is. Here are a handful of the most basic terms, each explained in a sentence or two, with no jargon.

Prompt

A prompt is simply the question or request you type (or say) to an AI assistant. It's how you tell Grok what you want. The company uses this word too, for example when it describes making images "from text prompts."[1][2]

Example: "Give me three easy dinner ideas using chicken and rice." That whole sentence is a prompt. If the answer isn't quite right, your next message, like "make them vegetarian," is a prompt too.

Chatbot

A chatbot is a computer program you can have a conversation with by typing or talking. You send a message, it writes back, and you can keep going back and forth like a text conversation. Grok is a chatbot: its official product page calls it an "AI Chatbot."[1]

AI (Artificial Intelligence)

AI is short for artificial intelligence. It's a broad name for computer systems that can do things we usually think need human thinking, like understanding everyday language, answering questions, writing, or recognizing what's in a picture.

Grok is one kind of AI. The company describes it as a "conversational generative AI,"[3] which in plain English means an AI you can talk with ("conversational") that can create new things like text and images ("generative").

One thing to remember: AI can sound sure of itself and still be wrong. The company says Grok can give inaccurate information, so double-check anything important.[3]

SI (Super Intelligence)

You may see "SI" in the name of the company behind Grok, which now calls itself SpaceXSI.[5] Its official, verified X account is named "SpaceX Super Intelligence," so in that name SI stands for Super Intelligence.[4]

The company's own pages we checked don't give a longer definition. In general use, "superintelligence" is a word for AI that would be far smarter than people at nearly everything, and it's also starting to show up as another way of saying "AI." For a beginner, the practical takeaway is simple: when you see SI, think of it as a close cousin of the word AI. Using Grok works the same way described in our other guides.

Bonus: What Is Grok Imagine?

Grok Imagine is the part of Grok that makes pictures and videos for you.[6] You describe what you want in words (a prompt), and it creates images or video from your description. You can also start from a reference photo.[1]

  • Right in your chat. You can create, restyle, and edit images and video without leaving the conversation, and change a result just by asking with a follow-up prompt.[1]
  • Clearly labeled. Images and videos made with Grok include a Grok watermark to show they were created with AI. There's no setting to remove it, and the company's rules don't allow removing or hiding it.[7]
Try a first idea: "Make a picture of a cozy reading nook with a sleeping orange cat, in watercolor style." (This is our own example, not an official one.)

Features and limits for Grok Imagine change often and can depend on your plan, so we don't list them here. Check the official pages for the latest.

What to Read Next

Now that the words make sense, start with What Is Grok? A Plain-English Explainer →

Ready to try it yourself? How to Get Started with Grok, Step by Step →

Want some easy first prompts? 10 Beginner Prompts to Try →

Sources

Facts about Grok and the company come from these official pages (the plain-English definitions of general words like chatbot and AI are our own), checked on October 17, 2026. Grok changes often, so if something looks different on your screen, the official page wins.

  1. Grok product page (SpaceXSI): https://x.ai/grok
  2. Imagine Overview, official docs (last updated October 8, 2026): https://docs.x.ai/developers/model-capabilities/imagine
  3. SpaceXSI Consumer FAQs (page dated May 12, 2025): https://x.ai/legal/faq
  4. SpaceXSI official X account (display name "SpaceX Super Intelligence"): https://x.com/SpaceXSI
  5. SpaceXSI official website home page: https://x.ai/
  6. Welcome to Grok, official docs (last updated October 10, 2026): https://docs.x.ai/grok/overview
  7. FAQ: Grok Website / Apps, official docs: https://docs.x.ai/grok/faq