AI IS EVERYWHERE AND NOWHERE
AI IS EVERYWHERE AND NOWHERE
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS EVERYWHERE
The AI debate is often focused on particular applications, such as ChatGPT, and particular problems, such as bias or trustworthiness. In reality, however, AI already plays a role across almost every aspect of our lives and involves a much broader range of technologies than we would perhaps normally think. On the overview to the left, you can see where on the map you can encounter some of these aspects.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS NOWHERE
But what is it, exactly, that we colloquially call “artificial intelligence”? The vast majority of the papers you find on the map never mention the concept. Researchers typically call it machine learning or use the names of specific algorithms. And an algorithm is essentially just a series of steps you follow in a given situation. It could for example be a doctor following a set of steps to provide a diagnosis. If the steps help a computer learn something from data, we call it machine learning, and if the computer is able to act on its own, we might call it autonomous systems. What deserves to be called artificial intelligence is continuously debated. Must the computer behave in a way that is indistinguishable from a human? Is it sufficient if it is narrowly delimited to a specific area of application? Or does it have to be more general intelligence with independent initiative?