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Glossary

Plain-English definitions of the AI, automation and search terms we use on this site and in our builds. Each entry starts with a one-sentence definition you can quote, then an example from our own work and links to where the term matters.

Terms
25

What is this glossary?

The Hyperloop AI glossary defines the AI, automation and search terms that come up when you build AI agents and automations, from webhooks, APIs and knowledge bases to lead scoring, AEO, GEO and llms.txt. Every definition is one plain sentence, followed by a short explanation and an anonymised example from our builds.

Terms by letter

A

AI agent
An AI agent is software that uses an AI model to hold conversations or complete tasks with your tools and information, not a fixed script.
AI chat agent
An AI agent that holds text conversations on websites, messaging apps and social DMs.
AI receptionist
An AI voice agent that answers a business's phone line, day and night.
AI voice agent
An AI agent that makes and answers phone calls.
Answer engine optimisation (AEO)
Answer engine optimisation (AEO) is shaping content so search engines can show it as a direct answer, such as a featured snippet or AI Overview.
API
An API (application programming interface) is a set of rules that lets one app request data or actions from another.

C

Conditional call forwarding
Conditional call forwarding sends calls to another number only when they go unanswered, the line is busy, or it's out of hours.
CRM
A CRM (customer relationship management system) is software that keeps one shared record per contact, with every call, message and deal attached.

G

Generative engine optimisation (GEO)
Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is making your business one that AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude know about, trust and cite.

H

Human-in-the-loop
Human-in-the-loop is a way of running AI where a person reviews or approves its output at set points before anything is sent, posted or published.

I

IVR
A phone menu that routes callers to the right person or team.

K

Knowledge base
A knowledge base is the set of documents and data an AI agent answers from, such as FAQs, SOPs, policies and your catalogue.

L

Lead scoring
Lead scoring is giving each lead a score from their answers and behaviour, so your sales team sees the most likely buyers first.
llms.txt
llms.txt is a proposed plain-text file at a website's root that summarises the site and links its key pages for AI tools.

M

Missed-call text-back
An automatic text sent to a caller whose call went unanswered.

N

No-code automation
No-code automation is building workflows by connecting apps in a visual builder, such as Make.com, n8n or Zapier, without writing code.

R

Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)
Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) is a method where an AI looks up relevant passages in a knowledge base before answering, so answers come from your material.

S

Sentiment analysis
Sentiment analysis is AI judging whether a caller or writer sounds positive, neutral or negative, recorded with each call or conversation.
SEO
Search engine optimisation: helping a site rank in search results.
Speed-to-lead
How quickly a business responds to a new lead after they get in touch.
System prompt
A system prompt is the standing set of instructions that sets an AI agent's role, goals, rules, tone and output format for every conversation.

V

Vibe coding
Vibe coding is building an app by describing it in plain English to an AI builder like Bolt, Lovable or Google AI Studio.
Voicemail detection
Voicemail detection is an outbound voice agent recognising an answering machine, so it doesn't start its script on a voicemail greeting.

W

Webhook
A webhook is an automatic message one app sends to another the moment something happens, rather than waiting to be asked.
White-label
White-label is when a product or service is built by one company and sold under another company's brand.

Some entries link straight to the page that owns the term instead of a glossary page.

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