Jaron Lanier: there is no AI (2023)
Jaron Lanier argues that the term “artificial intelligence” is misleading and that current technologies function more as collaborative tools than independent intelligences. He warns that mythologizing AI can impede effective management and increase the risk of harmful outcomes. Lanier suggests viewing systems like GPT‑4 as advanced statistical mashups of human‑generated content, akin to an enhanced form of social collaboration.
- ▪Lanier dislikes the term “AI,” calling it a dangerous mythologization of the technology.
- ▪A recent poll indicated that half of AI researchers believe there is at least a ten‑percent chance of human extinction due to AI.
- ▪He describes GPT‑4 as a statistical mashup of human‑written text, comparable to an expanded version of Wikipedia.
- ▪Lanier emphasizes that treating AI as a tool rather than a creature can improve governance and reduce existential risk.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Annals of Artificial IntelligenceThere Is No A.I.There are ways of controlling the new technology—but first we have to stop mythologizing it.By Jaron LanierApril 20, 2023Illustration by Nicholas Konrad / The New YorkerSave this storySave this storySave this storySave this storyAs a computer scientist, I don’t like the term “A.I.” In fact, I think it’s misleading—maybe even a little dangerous. Everybody’s already using the term, and it might seem a little late in the day to be arguing about it. But we’re at the beginning of a new technological era—and the easiest way to mismanage a technology is to misunderstand it.The term “artificial intelligence” has a long history—it was coined in the nineteen-fifties, in the early days of computers.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The New Yorker.
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