AI Lexicon — A

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

A computer program, system, theory or model. A basic AI can perform specific tasks that require human intelligence, using instructions designed and created by humans. Often, AIs are used to search for patterns in huge sets of data. Examples of basic AI tasks include sorting through images of people in a crowd, medical scans or filtering spam out of your email inbox. AI is an umbrella term that includes other digital technology, such as machine learning. (za/fs)

Algorithm

Algorithms are like cooking recipes in a kitchen. However, in computer science, these recipes are a set of mathematical rules and instructions for computers to calculate answers to questions or solve pre-determined problems.

Algorithms are the building blocks for programming. They were originally designed by humans, but AI can increasingly create its own algorithms.

Algorithms are good for sorting information. They are often used to predict user preferences online, such as musical tastes on a streaming app. But they are also used in Automated Decision Making by government bodies and, in some cases, are criticized for producing errors or bias. (za/fs)

 

Coming soon:

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
Automated Decision Making (ADM)

Sources:

The Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence: Forecasting, Prevention, and Mitigation (Miles Brundage et al, 2017): https://maliciousaireport.com/ (accessed July 24, 2023)

Machine Learning Glossary (Google) https://developers.google.com/machine-learning/glossary (accessed July 24, 2023)

Definition of an algorithm (Cambridge Dictionary https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/algorithm (accessed July 25, 2023)

Code-Dependent: Pros and Cons of the Algorithm Age (Pew Research)

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/02/08/code-dependent-pros-and-cons-of-the-algorithm-age/ (accessed July 25, 2023)

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Written and edited by: Zulfikar Abbany (za), Fred Schwaller (fs)