“Only Define” – the case of AI (Part of a series examining definitions in less than 200 words)

Posted By on Jun 8, 2023 in Columns |


“Only Define” – the case of AI
Business has a problem with poor definitions. In the case of AI, there is confusion about how new and different AI like Google’s Bard really is.
Actually, the more important question is whether Bard is alive. And the answer is that Bard is self-evidently not biologically alive.
If it’s not alive, its intelligence doesn’t matter. AI makes my Roomba vacuum cleaner “intelligent” i.e it “uses knowledge to adapt its behavior to the environment”. But having AI does not make the Roomba alive.
Being alive is what sets me apart from Bard, not intelligence. I am very dumb compared to AI.
Is AI “alive” in some other, unprecedented way? You would need to find a new word. Suggestions welcome!