Shared vocabulary
Name a technical idea precisely enough to test it.
This glossary explains how BIAA uses key terms. Definitions are concise learning aids, not exhaustive standards, legal definitions or claims about a particular product.
Use definitions alongside programme pages and research notes.OPENQUESTION
01 / Question02 / Understand03 / Build04 / Verify01
BIAA / SYSTEMS
Physical and computational systems
These terms describe how a designed system receives information, changes state and acts.
- 01Sensor — a component that measures a property and produces data
- 02Actuator — a component that turns a control signal into physical action
- 03Algorithm — a defined sequence or method for completing a task
- 04State — information used to describe a system at a particular moment
- 05Feedback — information about a result used to adjust what happens next
02
BIAA / INTELLIGENCE
Data, AI and autonomy
These terms help separate a model, its data and the wider human-controlled system in which it is used.
- 01Dataset — an organised collection of examples or measurements
- 02Model — a representation used to describe, predict or generate
- 03Inference — using a model or evidence to produce a conclusion or output
- 04Autonomy — a system’s bounded ability to choose actions without continuous direction
- 05Human-in-the-loop — a design in which a person reviews, directs or can override a system
03
BIAA / EVIDENCE
Design and evidence
These terms support careful experiments, fair evaluation and honest communication about limitations.
- 01Criterion — a quality used to judge whether a design meets its purpose
- 02Constraint — a limit that a solution must respect
- 03Variable — a factor that can change or be measured
- 04Prototype — a version made to explore, communicate or test an idea
- 05Validation — checking whether evidence supports intended use under stated conditions
- 06Uncertainty — what is not known, not measured or not reliably predicted
BIAA / NEXT STEP
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Use definitions alongside programme pages and research notes.