GENERATIVE AI • LESSON 8

What Is a Vector?

Since you're learning Embeddings, understanding vectors is essential.

CORE IDEA

A vector is a list of numbers that represents information in a form a computer can work with.

In Generative AI, an embedding is usually represented as a vector.

A vector can be as simple as:

vector = [0.2, 0.8, 0.4]

That's it. It is just a collection of numbers.

Computers are very good at working with numbers. But text is not naturally numerical.

For example:

"I love Python"

An embedding model converts it into something like:

"I love Python"
        ↓
Embedding Model
        ↓
[0.21, -0.45, 0.78, 0.12, ...]

That list of numbers is the vector.

Now connect this to what you learned earlier.

Suppose:

"I like Python"

goes through an embedding model.

"I like Python"
        ↓
Embedding Model
        ↓
[0.21, -0.45, 0.78, 0.12, ...]

That output:

[0.21, -0.45, 0.78, 0.12, ...]

is the vector.