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For sure. AI is a marketing term. But in some sense, so it "tech". The paperclip is a highly evolved technology, for example, [1], but working on those doesn't

For sure. AI is a marketing term. But in some sense, so it "tech". The paperclip is a highly evolved technology, for example, [1], but working on those doesn't mean you work "in tech". Tech meant something like, "the new stuff that is impacting our lives but we don't know how to handle". So a CTO's job generally doesn't include the paperclips, the copiers, or the company cars, however technological they are. And as with any shiny new marketing term, others will quickly rush in. There was the craze for radioactivity, which resulted in a bunch of radioactive patent medicines: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioactive_quackery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioactive_quackery But even more interesting to me is the extent to which it was used as a pure marketing term, with no radioactivity expected. E.g.: https://lucyjanesantos.com/a-batschari-radium-cigarettes/ https://lucyjanesantos.com/a-batschari-radium-cigarettes/ So I'm sure we'll be seeing all sorts of things branded "AI" even when they don't use any of the technologies involved. With no trademark on the term or organization to defend it, it's open season for all the sketch marketers. [1] For those who doubt, Petroski's "The Evolution of Useful Things" will set you straight: https://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Useful-Things-Artifacts-Zippers-Came/dp/0679740392 https://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Useful-Things-Artifacts-Zip...

School-Cotton 3y ago
I think a good definition of AI might be things that can’t be done (or at least we don’t know how to do them) with traditional deterministic programming techniques (that is, humans write code that directly tells the computer what to do). Things like traditional chess programs (i.e., those that don't use neural networks/ML) are maybe a borderline case, as while they are just tree search with a bunch of human-tuned evaluation heuristics, the search depth is so huge that it's difficult for humans to explain why they take certain actions.
- wpietri 3y ago
  I think that's a plausible start at a definition, but I think the ship has sailed on the term having a real definition at all. Once marketers get hold of a term, it doesn't really matter what people who like definitions or precision think. As an example, I was active in the Agile movement before that term was coined. When I've talked recently with the early-days people I keep in touch with, we're all kinda horrified by what the term has come to mean. And it's not like we didn't fight along the way for clarity. But most people just don't care about the precise use of a term when there's a profitable (mis)use of the term.

School-Cotton 3y ago

I think a good definition of AI might be things that can’t be done (or at least we don’t know how to do them) with traditional deterministic programming techniques (that is, humans write code that directly tells the computer what to do). Things like traditional chess programs (i.e., those that don't use neural networks/ML) are maybe a borderline case, as while they are just tree search with a bunch of human-tuned evaluation heuristics, the search depth is so huge that it's difficult for humans to explain why they take certain actions.

wpietri 3y ago
I think that's a plausible start at a definition, but I think the ship has sailed on the term having a real definition at all. Once marketers get hold of a term, it doesn't really matter what people who like definitions or precision think. As an example, I was active in the Agile movement before that term was coined. When I've talked recently with the early-days people I keep in touch with, we're all kinda horrified by what the term has come to mean. And it's not like we didn't fight along the way for clarity. But most people just don't care about the precise use of a term when there's a profitable (mis)use of the term.