AI Myths Debunked: Unpacking Six Common Misconceptions

Citation

Galanos V, Bennett S, Aylett R & Hemment D (2024) AI Myths Debunked: Unpacking Six Common Misconceptions. The New Real.

Abstract
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the subject of extraordinary hype concerning its abilities and possibilities, resulting in the spread of misinformation and myths. While this “mythinformation,” as Langdon Winner once called it, dates at least back to the 1980s, it’s helpful to revisit this topic in light of hype about generative AI today. In the news media we see examples of AI used in policing to identify potential suspects and in recruitment to screen CVs, while in films and TV we are shown sentient robots and computer systems. AI is even marketed as something that can autonomously produce its own artworks, while AI text generators threaten to displace jobs and flood the web with text of dubious quality[1]. These stories of AI are so widespread they have become ‘suitcase words’ – words that carry around multiple meanings that change depending on the context in which they are used[2]. Here, we debunk five of the common misconceptions that have taken root about AI. These five myths are pointers – they are all interconnected and come in various guises sometimes related to other technological myths about progress and commercial desire.

Journal
The New Real