Metaphors for AI, and why I don’t like them

The article "Metaphors for AI, and why I don’t like them" by Boaz Barak discusses various metaphors used to describe artificial intelligence (AI) and the author's skepticism towards them. Barak argues that modern AI, particularly deep-learning-based AI, is a fundamentally new concept that cannot be accurately captured by any existing metaphor. He warns against the potential confusion or misinformation that these metaphors can cause, especially for a general audience.

Barak acknowledges the usefulness of metaphors as "intuition pumps" but emphasizes their limitations. He argues that no single metaphor can encapsulate all aspects of AI, and over-interpreting metaphors can lead to misunderstandings. He discusses several metaphors that have been proposed for AI, including "stochastic parrots", "JPEG of the web", "the new McKinsey", "markets, bureaucracies, democracies", "King Midas / Genie", "paperclip maximizer", "alien / new species", and "Shoggoth". He critiques each of these metaphors, pointing out their shortcomings and the aspects of AI they fail to capture.

Barak concludes by emphasizing that AI systems are fundamentally new objects, and while metaphors can help build intuitions about them, they should be used with caution. He suggests that it might be more accurate to say that "This aspect of AI is like X" or "These types of AI systems, used in this way, are like X", rather than making blanket statements like "AI is like X".