Noob question: Can someone explain the graphics card generations?

I have been digging on Parts picker and I am confused on what makes certain graphics cards better than others? (*More powerful/Better gameplay/able to handle newer ggames at higher settings*).

I currently have a RTX3080 10G and I was looking up newer cards and I really just dont understand the specs on the cards. as in, how do I know a card is newer than the one I have, how do I know its actually more powerful, how do I know that the card is for gaming and not for running AI software (*RX4000*) etc.

in short is there a clear method of knowing how powerful/what generation the card you are using and or looking for is?