Artificial intelligence – Definition & Meaning

Definition of artificial intelligence

: the field of building computer systems that perform tasks normally thought to require human intelligence, such as understanding language, recognizing images, making decisions, and learning from experience
- Artificial intelligence has moved from research labs into everyday apps in less than a decade.
- Most of what people call AI today is a specific kind of machine learning.
: a computer system or program that shows such abilities
- The hospital uses an AI to flag unusual scans for a radiologist to review.

Origin & history

first known use1955

Coined by John McCarthy and colleagues in a 1955 proposal for a summer research workshop at Dartmouth College, held in 1956. The workshop is usually treated as the founding moment of the field.

Test yourself

Which of these is the meaning of artificial intelligence?

Related terms

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Cite this entry

"Artificial intelligence." AI Dictionary, Dadgogo, https://dadgogo.com/dictionary/artificial-intelligence/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.