Heuristic
A rule-of-thumb or simplified decision-making strategy used to speed up AI processes, often trading optimality for efficiency.
Definition
Domain-specific shortcuts—if-then rules or approximations—that reduce computational load or data requirements. Heuristics power early-stage filtering, candidate ranking, and fallback logic in AI pipelines. Governance ensures heuristics are documented, tested against edge cases, and replaced with more robust models when resources permit. Continuous reviews prevent heuristic drift and ensure that quick fixes don’t become permanent, unexamined components.
Real-World Example
A voice-assistant uses a heuristic to map “turn on the lights” to the living-room smart-bulb group if no room is specified. The heuristic speeds up response for 80% of commands. Governance requires quarterly reviews of fallback heuristics to ensure new room names or contexts (e.g., “kitchen”) are added and user confusion is minimized.
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