Heuristic programming

A branch of artificial intelligence, which uses heuristics -- common-sense rules drawn from experience -- to solve problems. This is in contrast to algorithmic programming, which is based on mathematically provable procedures. Heuristic programming is characterized by programs that are self-learning; they get better with experience. Heuristic programs do not always reach the very best result but usually produce a good result. Many expert systems use heuristic programming.