AI & Technology

AI & technology, explained simply

Short explainers in plain language, written by GM, with a link to a trusted source for each. This is not a live news feed: it explains ideas that matter, and we review it regularly.

This month’s explainers

Explainer

What is a Progressive Web App (PWA)?

A PWA is a website that can be installed on a phone or computer, opens in its own window and can keep working offline. It uses a web app manifest and a service worker. GM is installable for this reason.

Source: web.dev: Learn PWA

Explainer

Large language models in plain words

A large language model predicts the next piece of text from patterns learned in huge amounts of writing. That makes it good at drafting and summarising, and also able to state wrong things confidently, so important facts need checking.

Source: Wikipedia: Large language model

Explainer

Better prompts, better answers

Clear instructions, relevant context, an example of the format you want and a request to show assumptions improve AI answers more than clever wording. Our prompt lesson gives a simple structure.

Source: Anthropic: prompt engineering overview

Explainer

Managing AI risk in a small business

Before using AI at work, decide what data may be entered, who checks the output and how mistakes are handled. The NIST framework describes this as governing, mapping, measuring and managing risk.

Source: NIST: AI Risk Management Framework

Explainer

Why page speed matters: Core Web Vitals

Google measures how fast the main content loads, how quickly a page responds to taps and whether the layout jumps. Fast, stable pages are better for visitors and can help search visibility.

Source: web.dev: Web Vitals

Explainer

Stay safe online: strong passwords and a password manager

Use long, unique passwords for every account, store them in a password manager and turn on two-factor authentication. Our free Password Generator creates strong ones in your browser.

Source: CISA: Secure Our World

Last reviewed 12 November 2026. We summarise in our own words and link to the original source. Always check the source for the latest details.

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