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artificial intelligence: A type of knowledge-based decision-making exhibited by machines or computers. The term also refers to the field of study in which scientists try to create machines or computer software capable of intelligent behavior.
average: (in science) A term for the arithmetic mean, which is the sum of a group of numbers that is then divided by the size of the group.
bias: The tendency to hold a particular perspective or preference that favors some thing, some group or some choice. Scientists often “blind” subjects to the details of a test (don’t tell them what it is) so that their biases will not affect the results.
chatbot: A computer program created to seemingly converse with human users. Modern ones (such as Siri, Alexa, Ocelot and Sprinklr) can retrieve information over the internet about news events or classroom topics. Many even work as digital assistants to answer questions about purchases, products or scheduling on behalf of stores, pharmacies or banks.
colleague: Someone who works with another; a co-worker or team member.
commentary: (in science) An opinion piece, often written to accompany — and add perspective to — a paper by others, which describes new research findings.
computational: Adjective referring to some process that relies on a computer’s analyses.
dialect: A form of language or pattern of communication that is distinct to a specific place or a social group.
economist: Someone who works in the field of economics: how a society’s resources relate to the things it produces or achieves. Often this is measured in the goods people make, the money they earn or the costs they encounter (such as pollution or sickness). Economists might calculate this for something as small as a village or as large as a nation — even for workers living across the globe.
generative AI: A class of artificial-intelligence models that use deep learning and neural networks to generate — create — texts, pictures, audio, computer code or video in response to a user’s request.
insight: The ability to gain an accurate and deep understanding of a situation just by thinking about it, instead of working out a solution through experimentation.
model: A simulation of a real-world event (usually using a computer) that has been developed to predict one or more likely outcomes. Or an individual that is meant to display how something would work in or look on others.
prejudice: From the phrase “pre-judged,” it is a usually negative attitude towards one or more people owing to their belonging to some group (typically defined by race, religion or ethnicity). Prejudice towards some particular race is known as racism. Prejudice against one gender (usually women) is termed sexism. Prejudice against the elderly is referred to as agism.
prestige: The respect or appreciation that tends to be given some item, achievement, person, job, event or opportunity based on how society tends to view its value, quality or importance.
psychologist: A scientist or mental-health professional who studies the mind, especially in relation to actions and behaviors. Some work with people. Others may conduct experiments with animals (usually rodents) to test how their minds respond to different stimuli and conditions.
racism: (adj. racist)Â A form of prejudice or discrimination that comes from viewing people of another race as being less intelligent, less capable or inherently less worthy. It reflects attitudes and beliefs, not facts.
society: An integrated group of people or animals that generally cooperate and support one another for the greater good of them all.
subtle: Adjective for something that may be important, but can be hard to see or describe. For instance, the first cellular changes that signal the start of a cancer may be only subtly different — as in small and hard to distinguish from nearby healthy tissues.
system: A network of parts that together work to achieve some function. For instance, the blood, vessels and heart are primary components of the human body’s circulatory system. Similarly, trains, platforms, tracks, roadway signals and overpasses are among the potential components of a nation’s railway system. System can even be applied to the processes or ideas that are part of some method or ordered set of procedures for getting a task done.
tool: An object that a person or other animal makes or obtains and then uses to carry out some purpose such as reaching food, defending itself or grooming.
trove: A collection of valuable things.
tweet: Message consisting of 280 or fewer characters that is available to people having an online account with X (formerly Twitter). (Before November 2017 the limit had been 140 characters.)