At present, there is no widely agreed upon definition for cognitive computing in either academia or industry. In general, the term cognitive computing has been used to refer to new hardware and/or software that
mimics the functioning of the
human brain (2004). In this sense, cognitive computing is a new type of computing with the goal of more accurate models of how the human brain/
mind senses,
reasons, and responds to stimulus. Cognitive computing applications link
data analysis and adaptive page displays (
AUI) to adjust content for a particular type of audience. As such, cognitive computing hardware and applications strive to be more
affective and more influential by design. ,
touchscreens,
cameras,
microphones or
temperature sensors, signals from the real world environment can be detected. For
perception, these signals are recognised by the
cognition of the cognitive system and converted into digital information. This information can be
documented and is processed. The result of
deliberation can also be documented and is used to control and execute an action in the real world environment with the help of
actuators, such as
engines,
loudspeakers,
displays or
air conditioners for example. The term "cognitive system" also applies to any artificial construct able to perform a cognitive process where a cognitive process is the transformation of data, information, knowledge, or wisdom to a new level in the
DIKW Pyramid. While many cognitive systems employ techniques having their origination in
artificial intelligence research, cognitive systems, themselves, may not be artificially intelligent. For example, a
neural network trained to recognize cancer on an
MRI scan may achieve a higher success rate than a human doctor. This system is certainly a cognitive system but is not artificially intelligent. Cognitive systems may be engineered to feed on dynamic data in real-time, or near real-time, and may draw on multiple sources of information, including both structured and
unstructured digital information, as well as sensory inputs (visual, gestural, auditory, or sensor-provided). == Cognitive analytics ==