Artificial

Let’s explore that word a little.

Artificial in artificial intelligence means made by humans rather than occurring naturally; but the word carries more nuance than that simple definition suggests.

What’s the straightforward meaning?

Artificial comes from the Latin artificium (craft, skill) and ars (art). It originally meant ‘made by human skill’ as opposed to naturally occurring. So artificial intelligence is intelligence created through engineering and programming rather than evolved through biology.

Of course there is now a complication in that the word ‘artificial’ often carries connotations of ‘ fake’ or ‘imitation’, think of artificial flowers or artificial sweetener. This creates confusion: does AI simulate intelligence (appearing intelligent without actually being so), or is it genuinely intelligent but simply manufactured rather than biological?

And so we have a tension:

An artificial heart pumps blood; it’s artificial in origin but performs a real function. An artificial diamond is chemically identical to a natural one; artificial only means man-made. But artificial grass doesn’t photosynthesise; it merely looks like grass.

When we say ‘artificial intelligence’, are we claiming:

It’s real intelligence, just manufactured (like the artificial heart)? It’s apparent intelligence, not genuine (like artificial grass)? It’s something else entirely that we’ve awkwardly labeled ‘intelligence’ because we lack better terminology? And frankly it’s great for click-bait articles and Frankenstein Plus futures?

Perhaps the word ‘artificial’ reveals our uncertainty about what AI actually is and whether intelligence can be separated from its biological substrate? We chose a word that’s conveniently ambiguous. We certainly need to do what we are excellent at when willing: ask many, many probing questions to understand who our future ubiquitous partner in life, really is.