# Generative vs. traditional AI

Traditional AI classifies and predicts (spam filters, fraud scores). Generative AI creates — text, images, code, video. The business shift of the decade: machines went from sorting information to producing work.

Canonical: https://robauto.ai/learn/ai-101/6

_AI 101: The 2026 Foundation — lesson 6 of 20 (DEFINITION)_

Traditional AI classifies and predicts (spam filters, fraud scores). Generative AI creates — text, images, code, video. The business shift of the decade: machines went from sorting information to producing work.

Source: [McKinsey Explainers](https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-generative-ai?utm_source=robauto)

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