AI Dictionary
Heuristic
Definition
A technique designed for solving a problem more quickly when classic methods are too slow.
Deep Dive
A heuristic is a practical, problem-solving approach or an educated guess that employs a mental shortcut to produce a solution that is not guaranteed to be optimal or perfect, but is sufficient for the immediate goals. It's often used when classic algorithmic methods are too slow, complex, or computationally expensive to find an exact solution within a reasonable timeframe. Heuristics prioritize speed and efficiency, trading off guaranteed optimality for acceptable results.
Examples & Use Cases
- 1A rule of thumb like "always save frequently" when working on a computer
- 2An antivirus software scanning for known patterns of malware rather than every possible byte sequence
- 3Approximation algorithms for the Traveling Salesperson Problem that find a reasonably short route quickly
Related Terms
AlgorithmOptimizationRule of Thumb