Synthetic Data
Fake, computer-generated information used to train AI models when real human data is unavailable or too private to use.
In Plain English
Synthetic data is like using a flight simulator instead of a real airplane to train a pilot. If a bank wants to train an AI to detect fraud, they cannot legally use real customers' bank statements. Instead, they use AI to generate millions of highly realistic, but entirely fake, bank statements. This protects human privacy while still giving the AI the practice it needs.
Real-World Example
A healthcare company training a diagnostic AI on thousands of fake, AI-generated X-rays to protect real patient privacy.