Artificial intelligence or AI is the use of machine learning technology and algorithms (the automated computational application of rules) to perform tasks, to make rules and/or predictions based on existing datasets. According to the notes of 10 U.S. Code § 2358 artificial intelligence is defined as:
- “Any artificial system that performs tasks under varying and unpredictable circumstances without significant human oversight, or that can learn from experience and improve performance when exposed to data sets.
- An artificial system developed in computer software, physical hardware, or other context that solves tasks requiring human-like perception, cognition, planning, learning, communication, or physical action.
- An artificial system designed to think or act like a human, including cognitive architectures and neural networks.
- A set of techniques, including machine learning, that is designed to approximate a cognitive task.
- An artificial system designed to act rationally, including an intelligent software agent or embodied robot that achieves goals using perception, planning, reasoning, learning, communicating, decision making, and acting.”
For more information on artificial intelligence research see the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) overview on artificial intelligence.
[Last updated in March of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]