AJAX is a group of technologies used to create asynchronous web applications. It allows for updating parts of a web page without reloading the entire page. This improves responsiveness and allows for more dynamic interactions. Some key benefits of AJAX include more responsive interfaces, ability to update small parts of pages individually, and reduced waiting times. While it increases development complexity, AJAX is widely used in applications that involve heavy server requests, need to display large amounts of data sequentially, or where user interaction is frequent. Common frameworks for implementing AJAX include Prototype.js and Dojo Toolkit. Many large websites use AJAX, including Google Maps, Gmail, and Facebook.