AI Glossary Term
What does “Algorithm” mean?
A defined set of rules or steps that a computer follows to solve a problem or complete a task.
How Algorithm works
Example
A recipe is an algorithm for cooking: the same steps in the same order give a predictable dish. In software, a sorting algorithm takes a shuffled list of names and follows fixed rules until the list is in alphabetical order.
Why it matters
Every AI system is built from algorithms, from the training procedure to the code that runs the model. Understanding that algorithms are step-by-step rules makes it clearer where human choices enter.
Common questions
Is an algorithm the same as AI?
No. An algorithm is any defined set of steps. AI uses algorithms, but many algorithms, such as a simple sort, involve no learning.
Do algorithms always give the same result?
Deterministic algorithms do for the same input. Some, including many AI methods, use randomness and can give different results on different runs.
Who writes the algorithm in machine learning?
People write the learning algorithm, but the model's behavior also depends on the data it learns from, which is why data quality matters.