What is artificial intelligence (AI)?

Artificial intelligence, AI for short, is the umbrella term for computer systems that perform tasks that normally require human intelligence: learning from experience, recognising patterns, reasoning, deciding and understanding language. It is an umbrella concept that covers many more specific techniques, from machine learning to the generative AI behind ChatGPT. In this article you will read what artificial intelligence exactly is, how it relates to machine learning and generative AI, which types exist, and why it is changing the way customers find your brand.

What is artificial intelligence exactly?

Artificial intelligence is the field that lets computers perform tasks we normally label as “intelligent”. Think of a system that learns from examples, recognises an image, converts speech into text, makes a recommendation or holds a conversation. The common thread: the system adapts based on data instead of having every rule written out in advance.

The important thing to grasp is that “AI” is not a single technology, but a collective name. Under the umbrella sit very different approaches. Some AI systems follow fixed rules that people have entered. Most modern AI learns patterns from large amounts of data by itself. And the newest, most visible form generates new content on its own.

That broad definition explains why the word AI is used so often and so loosely. A spam filter is AI. A recommendation engine is AI. And the AI assistant that answers your questions is also AI, but of a completely different kind. To get a grip on it, it helps to nest the concepts inside each other like shells.

AI, machine learning and generative AI: how do they fit together?

The three concepts nest inside each other like a set of Russian dolls, they do not sit side by side. Artificial intelligence is the outer shell, machine learning sits inside it, and generative AI is in turn a part of that.

• Artificial intelligence is the broad field: everything that makes machines display “intelligent” behaviour.
• Machine learning is a subfield of AI in which systems are not explicitly programmed, but learn patterns from data themselves. The more relevant data, the better the system becomes.
• Generative AI is a specific branch within machine learning that creates new content itself: text, images, audio or code, based on learned patterns.

In plain language: all generative AI is machine learning, and all machine learning is AI, but not the other way around. An old-fashioned rule-based system is AI without machine learning. A recommendation model is machine learning without generating anything. And ChatGPT is generative AI, so all three at once.

That distinction is more than a play on words. It explains why the recent AI wave has had such a big impact: it is specifically the generative branch that is changing how your customers search. We cover that branch separately in what generative AI is.

Which types of AI are there?

AI is often classified by how broad the intelligence is. That classification helps to separate hype from reality.

• Narrow AI. Systems that perform one specific task well: a translation model, a fraud detector, a chatbot. Virtually all AI that exists today, even the most impressive, falls into this category. It is powerful within its task, but cannot step outside it.
• General AI. A hypothetical system that, like a human, could learn and perform any intellectual task. This does not exist today, despite what some headlines suggest.
• Superintelligence. An even further, speculative step in which AI would surpass human intelligence in every respect. This is science fiction, not a product you can buy.

For you as a B2B marketer, the first category is above all the relevant one. The AI that affects you today is narrow AI that does one thing very well, such as understanding and generating language. That happens through natural language processing.

What does AI mean for your findability?

AI is changing findability fundamentally, because more and more people put their questions to an AI assistant instead of to a classic search engine. Instead of ten blue links, they get one summarised answer with a handful of sources. If you are not among them, you simply do not exist for that user, no matter how well your website scores otherwise.

That is precisely the territory of generative engine optimization: setting up your presence so that AI systems understand, trust and recommend your brand. GEO does not replace SEO, it adds a layer on top. And the core is reassuringly simple: because a model matches on meaning and not on individual keywords, you win by covering a topic completely, clearly and honestly, not with tricks.

At Customer Impact we always steer by what counts: leads and revenue, not vanity metrics such as the number of AI mentions in themselves. A mention is only valuable once it brings the right B2B buyer to you.

Honest: where AI is (not yet) the solution

We would rather say it straight away: AI is not a magic wand, and not every problem is solved with it. A model is only as good as the data and context it works with, and it can produce convincing-sounding nonsense. For companies that is no reason to bow out, but it is a reason to stay realistic.

Concretely: if you still have too little traffic or no sharp offer, AI mainly speeds up your wrong choices instead of improving your results. In that case you are better off investing in your foundation first. And anyone who promises that AI will guaranteed put you in every answer is exaggerating. The gains lie in clarity and consistency, exactly the work we do with our GEO service for AI search engines, where AI visibility is a means and not a goal in itself.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between AI and machine learning?

AI is the broad collective name for systems that display intelligent behaviour. Machine learning is a subfield of it in which systems learn patterns from data themselves instead of following fixed rules. So all machine learning is AI, but not all AI is machine learning.

Is generative AI the same as artificial intelligence?

No, generative AI is a specific branch within AI. It is the form that creates new content itself, such as text and images. Artificial intelligence is the umbrella concept that also covers many other, older techniques that generate nothing.

Does AI as smart as a human already exist?

No. All AI that exists today is narrow AI: it does one task well but cannot step outside it. General AI, which like a human could learn any task, does not exist and is for now a research question, not a product.

Should my B2B company do something with AI?

For your findability, yes, because your customers use AI assistants to orient themselves and compare. Make sure your content is clear and consistent so AI understands and cites you correctly. For internal processes: deploy AI where it solves a concrete problem, not because it can.

Ready to become visible in AI?

Tell us where you stand today with your findability, and we will tell you honestly where AI does and does not pay off for your situation. We are a small team that moves fast, so you get concrete steps instead of a report that sits on the shelf. Plan your free intake