The flurry of articles and events concerning the growing autonomy of AI is pure marketing designed to distract, according to an op-ed in the MIT Technology Review by Faculty Associate Emily Bender.
In the article “Don’t be fooled by this summer of AI hype,” Bender and co-author Timnit Gebru, executive director of DAIR, encourage scrutiny about the increasing “breathless claims about AGI.”
In the article, the duo “note that the illusion of speed and urgency promulgated by the tech companies is also a ploy to misdirect both policymakers and the public.”
The way technology has been marketed as increasingly anthropomorphized, autonomous and powerful is contributing to public concern about AI taking over the world instead of addressing the true material impacts of the tech.
“The best possible outcome from this summer of hype is that policymakers and the public at large learn to take a breath, hold onto our skepticism, and recognize this kind of hype for what it is the next time it comes around.”
Read the full article here: Don’t be fooled by this summer of AI hype