What is AI, and how do programmes like ChatGPT and DeepSeek work?
Artificial intelligence (AI) has increasingly become part of everyday life over the past decade.
It is used for everything from personalising social media feeds to powering medical breakthroughs.
But as big tech firms and governments vie to be at the forefront of AI's development, critics have expressed caution over its potential misuse, ethical complexities and environmental impact.
What is AI and what is it used for?
AI allows computers to learn and solve problems in ways that can seem human.
Computers cannot think, empathise or reason.
However, scientists have developed systems that can perform tasks which usually require human intelligence, trying to replicate how people acquire and use knowledge.
AI programmes can process large amounts of data, identify patterns and follow detailed instructions about what to do with that information.
This could be trying to anticipate what product an online shopper might buy, based on previous purchases, in order to recommend items.
The technology is also behind voice-controlled virtual assistants like Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa, and is being used to develop systems for self-driving cars.
AI also helps social platforms like Facebook, TikTok and X decide what posts to show users. Streaming services Spotify and Deezer use AI to suggest music.
Scientists are also using AI as a way to help spot cancers, speed up diagnoses and identify new medicines.
Computer vision, a form of AI that enables computers to detect objects or people in images, is being used by radiographers to help them review X-ray results.
What are generative AI programs like ChatGPT, DeepSeek and Midjourney?
Generative AI is used to create new content which can feel like it has been made by a human.
It does this by learning from vast quantities of existing data such as online text and images.
ChatGPT and Chinese rival DeepSeek's chatbot are two widely-used generative AI tools. Midjourney can create images from simple text prompts.
So-called chatbots such as Google's Gemini or Meta AI can hold text conversations with users.
