The media has created stories of AI ending humanity but that’s not close to our current reality, Faculty Associate Emily Bender says.

In a recent article in National Geographic, Bender argues that current AI tools share little with the thinking, feeling AIs of science fiction.

“What companies mean when they say AI is ‘venture capitalists, please give us money,’ ” Bender said. “It does not refer to a coherent set of technologies.” She notes that tech companies lean into our perception of what it means to be intelligent is to make their products seem more human-like.