A field guide to AI positions

Artificial intelligence (AI)

Dated sources are over 18 months old; other dates are unknown.

Publication dates and source age

Sources counted: 5

Newest dated source: 2024-03-05

Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

Some publication dates are unknown; the newest dated source may not be the newest source overall.

Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

Open in the glossary Reading notes · Structured record

In plain language

AI is a field of computing. Its systems use computer programs and hardware to recognize patterns, generate content or make predictions. [1] [2] [3]

Reference this explanation or suggest a correction

Link to this explanation · Suggest a correction · How corrections work

Limits & distinctions

AI and artificial general intelligence (AGI) are different terms. A system can perform a particular task well without having broad human-level abilities. [5]

Reference this explanation or suggest a correction

Link to this explanation · Suggest a correction · How corrections work

A fuller explanation

AI includes models learned from data and systems built with explicitly specified knowledge or rules. A chatbot is one application; AI can also be part of a physical machine, such as a robot. [1] [4]

Reference this explanation or suggest a correction

Link to this explanation · Suggest a correction · How corrections work

How it relates to the map

Start here when a claim uses 'AI' without saying which kind of system it means. [3]

Reference this explanation or suggest a correction

Link to this explanation · Suggest a correction · How corrections work

Share this page

https://theaiatlas.org/ideas/ai/

Download a share image · Vector image

Image previews are summaries. Keep the page link so readers can check the evidence.

Sources and what we read

  1. 1. Explanatory memorandum on the updated OECD definition of an AI system

    Source is over 18 months old.

    Publication dates and source age

    Sources counted: 1

    Newest dated source: 2024-03-05

    Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

    Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

    Read the updated definition and explanatory sections on techniques, human roles, autonomy, physical and virtual environments, inputs, models and outputs (pages 4 and 6 to 9). Publication date follows the OECD publication landing page. Used to distinguish models from systems and learned methods from knowledge-based approaches, not as a claim about human-like understanding or a legal classification of a particular product.

  2. 2. software

    Publication dates and source age

    Sources counted: 1

    Publication dates are unavailable.

    Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

    Some publication dates are unknown; the newest dated source may not be the newest source overall.

    Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

    Read the definitions of software as programs and associated data, and the distinction from physical hardware. The glossary aggregates several contextual definitions, including entries for related hardware and firmware terms; it is not a single universal definition. Referenced standards were not read in full. Live page publication date unspecified.

  3. 3. Machine Learning Glossary

    Publication dates and source age

    Sources counted: 1

    Publication dates are unavailable.

    Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

    Some publication dates are unknown; the newest dated source may not be the newest source overall.

    Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

    Read the artificial intelligence, deep model, context window, inference and chat entries. Used for terminology, not product performance claims. Updated date follows the earlier displayed page date; initial publication is unspecified. The chat entry was reread during the same-day beginner-content review. Also read the generalization and compute entries.

  4. 4. What is Machine Learning?

    Publication dates and source age

    Sources counted: 1

    Publication dates are unavailable.

    Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

    Some publication dates are unknown; the newest dated source may not be the newest source overall.

    Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

    Read the introduction, model definition, supervised and unsupervised learning, and generative AI sections. Examples illustrate categories rather than measured accuracy. Updated date follows the page; initial publication is unspecified.

  5. 5. Levels of AGI for Operationalizing Progress on the Path to AGI

    Source is over 18 months old.

    Publication dates and source age

    Sources counted: 1

    Newest dated source: 2023-11-04

    Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

    Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

    Read abstract, Table 1 and autonomy discussion. Proposed distinctions between breadth, performance and autonomy; no current model classification adopted.

Edition and machine-readable evidence

Content version 0.20.0. Evidence cutoff 2026-09-15; this does not mean every source was read on that day.

Pinned complete dataset · Complete evidence page · Agent consumption guide