AI vs. Machine Learning vs. Generative AI
These are nested, not separate. Machine learning is one way of building AI, deep learning is one kind of machine learning, and generative AI (including LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude) is one use of deep learning. On a resume, "AI experience" from before 2022 almost always meant classic machine learning such as prediction and classification. Since then it usually means working with LLMs. They draw on different skills.
How to tell them apart on a resume
Classic ML
Predictions and scores: churn, fraud, pricing, recommendations. Mentions training data, features, accuracy, scikit-learn or XGBoost.
Generative AI
Produces text, images or code: chatbots, copilots, summarisation. Mentions LLMs, prompts, RAG, agents, or model providers by name.
The question that settles it
“When you say AI, was the system predicting a number or category, or generating text, images or code?”
Read the full definitions
Open the full tool for the other look-alike pairs, role profiles, and the JD decoder.