Public debate about AI tends to swing between promises of upheaval and worries expressed in very broad strokes. Both make it hard to pin down what's actually being discussed.
Three common pitfalls
- Using words like intelligence, autonomy and understanding without explaining what they mean in context.
- Jumping straight from today's tools to the most extreme future scenario without describing the steps in between.
- Presenting technological progress as inevitable, rather than as the result of choices and priorities.
A better starting point
More precise language makes it easier to discuss responsibility, regulation and risk without either overstating or downplaying it.