Machine learning basics
Computer systems that do tasks we normally link to human thinking, such as spotting patterns, answering questions or making choices.
Formal
A broad field and a label for systems that, for a set of goals chosen by people, produce outputs such as predictions, content, advice or decisions that affect the world around them, with some level of independence.
In plain English
An umbrella word, like “vehicle”, covering everything from a simple filter that sorts junk mail by fixed rules to a chat assistant that writes whole reports.
In practice
A supplier tells a region's purchasing team that its new HR tool “uses AI”; the team asks whether it actually sorts job applications, writes text or makes decisions about staff.
Why it matters
The label alone says little about risk; laws such as the EU AI Act judge a system by what it is used for, so buyers and users must ask what it really does.