In Plain Terms: Artificial Intelligence (AI)

In other words, AI is algorithm-based technology that mimics human cognition, meaning the technology is programmed to follow certain patterns or equations for a given input to produce an outcome. For example, you recently watched Breaking Bad on Netflix. The next time you sit down to watch Netflix you see a new queue of suggested shows to watch, "Because you watched Breaking Bad," that include Dexter, Making a Murderer, and Sons of Anarchy; not solely because they are similarly classified as crime series, but because millions of other users that have watched Breaking Bad have also watched the suggested titles. There are several differences between artificial intelligence and human cognition, the most obvious being that AI is, well, artificial. Beyond that, human cognition and AI differ in that AI has the unique advantage of being able to sort through a "database" of information, arguably instantaneously, to produce and output.