system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: When you play a game like chess against a computer on "easy," does it simply look at less possible moves/scenarios or does it actually try to lose?

Edit: Well thank you all for your responses! I did not expect this to reach the front page while I slept, and I will not be responding to several dozen similar explanations. Thank you all, I definitely understand the concept behind this better now.
gpt
>does it simply look at less possible moves/scenarios

Usually this one.

Most chess programs work by calculating the "value" of various pieces and positions. Each piece is worth some points by itself, with bonuses or multipliers for useful board positions. A position will be worth more points if it threatens your pieces or defends the computer's pieces. The computer looks at all possible moves, usually looking several moves into the future, and makes a tactical decision based on the highest point value.

As the computer checks more and more moves, the number of possibilities increases exponentially. There may be 10 possible moves in one turn, then 100 possible moves in the next, then a thousand, then 10 thousand. Because of this, computers are very good at estimating the next several moves, but have a harder time beyond that. Some chess players who specialize in playing against computers have learned to capitalize on this weakness.

By limiting the computer's ability think ahead, you can vastly change the difficulty of playing against it.