An Intuitive Understanding of AI Diffusion Models

The classic papers describing diffusion are full of dense mathematical terms and equations.

For many (including myself) who haven’t stretched those particular math muscles since diff eq class a decade or so ago, the paper is just an opaque wall of literal Greek.

In this post I describe my personal understanding of diffusion models in less-dense terms, focusing on intuitive understanding and personal mental models I use to understand diffusion.