A sequence of rules and instructions that describes a procedure to solve a problem. A Computer program expresses one or more algorithms in a manner understandable by a computer.

The ability to have subjective experience. The ability of a being, animal, or entity to have self-perception and self-awareness. The ability to feel. A key question in the twenty-first Century is whether Computers will achieve consciousness (which their human creators are considered to have).

The study of life-forms. In evolutionary terms, the emergence of patterns of matter and energy that could survive and replicate to form future generations.

The amount of disorder or unpredictable behavior in a System. In reference to the Law of Time and Chaos, chaos refers to the quantity of random and unpredictable events that are relevant to a process.

The study of patterns and emergent behavior in complex Systems comprised of many unpredictable elements (e.g., the weather).

A machine that implements an algorithm. A Computer transforms data according to the specifications of an algorithm. A programmable Computer allows the algorithm to be changed.

Varying in discrete Steps. The use of combinations of bits to represent data in computation. Contrasted with analog.

In thermodynamics, a measure of the chaos (unpredictable movement) of particles and unavailable energy in a physical System of many components. In other contexts, a term used to describe the extent of randomness and disorder of a System.

A process in which diverse entities (sometimes called organisms) compete for limited resources in an environment, with the more successful organisms able to survive and reproduce (to a greater extent) into subsequent generations. Over many such generations, the organisms become better adapted at survival. Over generations, the order (suitability of Information for a purpose) of the design of the organisms increases, with the purpose being survival.

A Computer program, based on various artificial intelligence techniques, that solves a problem using a database of expert knowledge on a topic. Also a system that enables such a database to become available to the nonexpert user. A branch of the artificial intelligence field.

A procedure and program developed by Allen M search and by applying rules to generate the alternatives at each branch in the recursive expansion of possible sequences. GPS uses a procedure to measure the "distance" from the goal.

A theorem postulated by Kurt Gödel, a Czech mathematician, that states that in a mathematical System powerful enough to generate the natural numbers, there inevitably exist propositions that can be neither proved nor disproved.

An approach to studying intelligence and to creating intelligent solutions to problems. Connectionism is based on storing problem-solving knowledge as a pattern of connections among a very large number of simple processing units operating in parallel.

Probably the most durable definition of artificial intelligence, and the one most often quoted, states that: "Artificial Intelligence is the art of creating machines that perform functions that require intelligence when performed by people."

The field of research that attempts to emulate human intelligence in a machine. Fields within AI include knowledge-based systems, expert systems, pattern recognition, automatic learning, natural-language understanding, robotics, and others.

Simulated organisms, each including a set of behavior and reproduction rules (a simulated "genetic code"), and a simulated environment. The simulated organisms simulate multiple generations of evolution. The term can refer to any seifreplicating pattern.

A term coined by Norbert Wiener to describe the "science of control and communication in animals and machines." Cybernetics is based on the theory that intelligent living beings adapt to their environments and accomplish objectives primarily by reacting to feedback from their surroundings.

The ability of entities (usually organisms) to reproduce into future generations. Patterns of matter and energy that can perpetuate themselves and survive.

The process of defining or expressing a function or procedure in terms of itself. Each level of a recursive-solution procedure produces a simpler (or possibly smaller) version of the problem than originally posed. This process continues until a subproblem whose answer is already known is obtained. A surprisingly large number of symbolic and numerical problems lend themselves to recursive formulations.

A landmark natural-language program, completed in 1970, that integrates the previously independent functions of reasoning, syntax, and semantics. It performed remarkably well in its own small domain of children's blocks.

A simple abstract model of a computing machine, designed by Alan Turing in his 1936 paper "On Computable Numbers." The Turing machine is a fundamental concept in the theory of computaüon.

A criterion proposed by Alan Turing that maintains that a system is intelligent if it can deceive a human interrogator into believing that it is human.

In a 1950 paper, Alan Turing describes his concept of the Turing Test, in which a human judge Interviews both a Computer and one or more human foils using terminals (so that the judge won't be prejudiced against the Computer for lacking a warm and fuzzy appearance). If the human judge is unable to reliably unmask the Computer (as an impostor human) then the Computer wins.

Millions of people witnessed the IBM computer named Watson play the natural-language game of Jeopardy! and obtain a higher score than the best two human players in the world combined. It should be noted that not only did Watson read and “understand” the subtle language in the Jeopardy! query (which includes such phenomena as puns and metaphors), but it obtained the knowledge it needed to come up with a response from understanding hundreds of millions of pages of natural-language documents including Wikipedia and other encyclopedias on its own. It needed to master virtually every area of human intellectual endeavor, including history, science, literature, the arts, culture, and more.