Algorithm
Level 1
A defined set of steps for solving a problem.
Term 5 of 8 in Basic AI
In plain language
An algorithm is just a recipe: do this, then that, then check the result. Algorithms are used to train models and to decide what you see in a feed, but an algorithm on its own is not intelligent.
Think of it like this
A recipe card. It works the same way every time, whoever holds it.
Why it matters
People often say "the algorithm" when they mean "a system I cannot see inside". Naming it precisely makes it easier to question.
Next terms in Basic AI
- Artificial intelligenceSoftware that performs tasks we normally think of as requiring human judgement.
- Machine learningA way of building software that learns patterns from examples instead of being given rules.
- ModelThe trained file that holds everything an AI system learned.
- TrainingThe process of showing a model huge amounts of data so it can learn patterns.