AI Glossary Term
What does “Recommendation System” mean?
Definition
A model pipeline that predicts user preferences for ranking content or products.
How Recommendation System works
Example
A streaming service notices you finished several documentaries. It finds other viewers with similar habits, sees what they watched next, and ranks those titles on your home screen.
Why it matters
Recommenders shape what people read, watch, and buy. Their goals, such as engagement, may not match what is best for users.
Common questions
Two main approaches?
Collaborative filtering uses patterns across many users. Content-based methods use item attributes. Many systems combine both.
What is the cold start problem?
New users or items have no history, so the system has little to base recommendations on.
Do they create filter bubbles?
They can, if they keep showing similar content. Some designs add variety on purpose.