Algorithm
A set of step-by-step instructions for solving a problem or completing a task. Computers follow algorithms to do almost everything they do.
A recipe is a good everyday comparison: a fixed list of steps that, followed in order, gets you from ingredients to a finished dish. A computer algorithm is the same idea written for a machine, such as the steps for sorting a list of names alphabetically or finding the shortest route on a map.
In daily conversation, "the algorithm" often means the system a social media app or video site uses to decide what to show you next. These systems usually combine fixed rules with machine learning that learns from what you and others click, watch and skip.
An algorithm is not neutral just because a computer runs it. People choose its goals, such as keeping you scrolling for longer, and it can repeat unfair patterns from its data. See bias.
Related: Machine learning, Model (AI model), Bias (in AI)