Is DAI backed by dollar?

Could you please clarify for me if DAI is indeed backed by the US dollar? I've heard some discussions about its stability and pegging mechanism, but I'm still not entirely sure how it works. Is there a direct link between the value of DAI and the value of the dollar? Or is it more of a collateralized debt position, where the underlying assets are used to maintain DAI's stability? I'm really interested in understanding the intricacies of DAI's backing mechanism and how it differs from other cryptocurrencies. Could you provide some insight into this?