Neural Network
Also called: Artificial Neural Network, ANN
A neural network is a computing structure made of interconnected nodes organised in layers, which process data using mathematical functions. Loosely modelled on the brain, a neural network learns by adjusting the strength of the connections between its nodes, over and over, until its outputs match the training examples. Neural networks are the computational base for modern computer vision, natural language processing and deep learning.
In practice
The layered structure is what makes a neural network powerful and what makes it hard to interrogate: the decision lives in millions of connection weights, not in readable rules. That is why explainability and audit are engineering work on these systems rather than a documentation exercise.