{"id":1862,"date":"2019-08-02T10:18:39","date_gmt":"2019-08-02T10:18:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kusuaks7\/?p=1467"},"modified":"2024-07-22T13:15:06","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T13:15:06","slug":"the-travesty-of-artificial-intelligence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/ai-ml\/the-travesty-of-artificial-intelligence\/","title":{"rendered":"The travesty of artificial intelligence"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMystified and vilified at the same time. That\u2019s how I would currently describe \u201cartificial intelligence<\/a>,\u201d one of the most feared, revered and hated buzzwords of the tech industry.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tI was reminded of this fact earlier this week, when I stumbled on an interesting Medium post by Mike Mallazzo. Titled \u201cThe BS-Industrial Complex of Phony A.I.,\u201d the article shed light on how product vendors rebrand rudimentary technologies as artificial intelligence to cause hype and excitement\u2014and attract more capital. (Unfortunately, the post was removed from Medium, but a cached version still exists if you Google it.)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cFor the last few years, startups have shamelessly re-branded rudimentary machine-learning algorithms as the dawn of the singularity, aided by investors and analysts who have a vested interest in building up the hype. Welcome to the artificial intelligence bullshit-industrial complex,\u201d writes Mallazzo, who previously worked at Dynamic Yield, a company\u00a0recently acquired by McDonalds<\/a>.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\nMallazzo\u2019s words are very true. The AI industry is currently rushing toward the peak of its latest hype cycle, creating growing incentive for tech startups to put an AI label on their technologies for no other reason than to jump on the AI bandwagon. The practice has created confusion and frustration around what AI is and what it can do and has given rise to a growing group of disenchanted experts, scientists, and academicians.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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How AI became mystified<\/h2><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tInterestingly, a little over a decade ago, artificial intelligence was an unpopular term. During the\u00a0AI winter<\/a>, companies intentionally refrained from associating themselves with artificial intelligence and used other terms to describe their technologies.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn the past few years, advances in\u00a0deep learning and artificial neural networks<\/a>\u00a0have renewed interest in AI. In 2018,\u00a0more than 3,500 AI <\/a>papers were\u00a0published in the arXiv preprint processor. To put that in perspective, in 2008, the figure stood at 277.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAnd where innovation sprouts, money follows. A quick search on statistic sites like Statista shows revenue and investment in artificial intelligence growing at an accelerating pace. Consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates AI to be worth\u00a0$15 trillion by 2030<\/a>.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUnder such circumstances, it\u2019s natural for tech companies find all sorts of ways to \u201cleverage AI.\u201d Survey after\u00a0survey<\/a>\u00a0shows that more and more companies \u201cimplementing AI\u201d or planning to do it in some way.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBut in many\u2014if not most\u2014cases, the approach to artificial intelligence is only in name. In Europe alone, a\u00a0recent study by London-based venture capital firm MMC<\/a>\u00a0found that out of 2,830 startups classified as AI companies, only 1,580 accurately fit the description. (Interestingly Mallazzo points out in his article that VC firms are also complicit in mystifying AI.)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPart of the problem is with the term \u201cartificial intelligence\u201d itself, which is vague in nature, and\u00a0its definition changes as time passes and technology improves<\/a>. So it\u2019s easy for marketers to get away with renaming old technology as AI.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAnother problem is that current blends of AI have become very good at some tasks that were previously thought to be off-limits for computers, such as\u00a0playing complicated board games<\/a>, \u00a0diagnose cancer, generate coherent text, and (almost) drive cars. Moreover, current AI models work in complicated ways that are often\u00a0difficult to interpret even by their own creators<\/a>.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAll of this has created a tendency to\u00a0compare current blends of AI to human intelligence<\/a>\u00a0or to give human characteristics to software systems and hardware that use technologies such as neural networks. You have probably heard of \u201cracist algorithms,\u201d \u201csmart gadgets,\u201d and \u201ccreepy AI algorithms that create their own language.\u201d\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe hype is also creating a growing demand by for news stories and articles about artificial intelligence. Tech publications often rush to report on the latest AI paper without bothering to understand the underlying technology. In many cases, the people who write about the technology don\u2019t have the minimum understanding of fundamental AI concepts such as\u00a0machine learning<\/a>\u00a0and neural networks. The vague reporting is often\u00a0accompanied by clickbait headlines<\/a>\u00a0and images of crystal balls and killer robots, making AI even more confusing.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat\u2019s most disappointing however, is to see reputable research labs fuel the confusion by\u00a0making questionable claims<\/a>\u00a0about the capabilities and threats of their AI models. Even mathematicians who should know better get caught up in the mystical haze and\u00a0anthropomorphize AI<\/a>.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A reality check on AI<\/h2><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe mystification of AI fully justifies the backlash by the science community. Mallazzo\u2019s post is just\u00a0one of the<\/a>\u00a0many<\/a>\u00a0articles<\/a>\u00a0that denounce the way companies make vague use of the AI nomenclature to sell their products.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tI personally agree with most of the arguments in these articles. Misusing the terminology for the sake of creating excitement and drawing attention and investment to products and services is deplorable, and it certainly hurts the industry. It also casts a shroud of doubt on all the great work being done in the field to apply AI to real problems.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHowever, we also need to acknowledge the problem and find a solution to the current situation to better inform the public and help people make informed decisions.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFirst, we must recognize that artificial intelligence is a fluid term, whose definition changes with time. Therefore, we need to define what is the current context of AI. Can we consider anything that uses a machine learning algorithm as artificial intelligence? Should AI be limited to systems that employ neural networks and deep learning algorithms? Or maybe we should evaluate AI based on the cognitive behavior a system manifests, regardless of the underlying technology? If yes, what is the minimum level of cognitive accomplishment for a system to be considered AI?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe answers to all these questions and many others will help us narrow down the contemporary definition of AI and give us guidelines to evaluate companies and technologies.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRationally, we would expect everyone to avoid using \u201cartificial intelligence\u201d and instead employ the more specific terms that describe their technologies. But this might make things too complicated. The AI landscape is a hodgepodge of various technologies, and it would be unfair to expect everyone to educate themselves on the different types of techniques used in the field.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTherefore, we will still need the umbrella term \u201cartificial intelligence\u201d to describe the space in general. However, startups and research labs need to abandon practices that confuse their audience. Instead of trying to wrap their products in an aura of magic and mystery, they should try to explain in the most understandable way how their AI works.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAnd here\u2019s my personal recommendation to writers and news organizations. Given the current hype surrounding AI, there\u2019s nothing wrong with using \u201cartificial intelligence\u201d in headlines. After all, that\u2019s what readers are looking for, and the average reader is more likely to understand \u201cAI algorithm\u201d than terms such as \u201ctransformer\u201d or \u201cautoencoder\u201d or \u201crecurrent neural network.\u201d But writers also have a responsibility to clarify as much as they can what the underlying technology is and how it works. This will help readers develop a realistic picture of the capabilities and limits of current artificial intelligence technologies.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAs for the scientists and researchers who are concerned with the current state of affairs, they should become more engaged in the public discussion to separate fact from fiction. Articles such as Mallazzo\u2019s are helpful, but vilifying the misuse of AI terminology is not enough. There should also be efforts in\u00a0making AI understandable to the less tech-savvy audience<\/a>. You shouldn\u2019t have a computer science degree to know that neural networks are not magic.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn the past seven decades, overpromising and underdelivering by scientists and researchers triggered AI winters at different stages. Today, the industry faces a similar threat from actors who are more concerned with their short-lived gains than the long-term benefits the technology can bring to humanity. Protecting AI from another quasi-winter is a collective duty that requires responsible behavior from all the people involved.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We must recognize that artificial intelligence is a fluid term, whose definition changes with time. Therefore, we need to define what is the current context of AI. Can we consider anything that uses a machine learning algorithm as artificial intelligence? Should AI be limited to systems that employ neural networks and deep learning algorithms? Or maybe we should evaluate AI based on the cognitive behavior a system manifests, regardless of the underlying technology? If yes, what is the minimum level of cognitive accomplishment for a system to be considered AI?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":3509,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[183],"tags":[97],"ppma_author":[1946],"class_list":["post-1862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai-ml","tag-artificial-intelligence"],"authors":[{"term_id":1946,"user_id":109,"is_guest":0,"slug":"ben-dickson","display_name":"Ben Dickson","avatar_url":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/medium_8aaf6bea-c4c1-455f-8156-8007d70910f8-150x150.jpg","user_url":"https:\/\/bdtechtalks.com\/","last_name":"Dickson","first_name":"Ben","job_title":"","description":"Ben Dickson is an experienced software engineer and tech blogger. He contributes regularly to major tech websites such as the Next Web, the Daily Dot, PCMag.com, Cointelegraph, VentureBeat, International Business Times UK, and The Huffington Post."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1862"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36918,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1862\/revisions\/36918"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1862"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=1862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}