Fake it till you make it: AI and Hype

UCL Panel on AI hype

The Algo 2020 conference invited me on a panel discussion titled “Fake it till you make it – AI and Hype”, organized and moderated by Jack Stilgoe, together with Gemma Milne, Ramon Amaro, and Harro van Lente. Here are my 4 key points:

  1. AI hype epitomizes the belief that AI always makes sense. It does not question the very purpose of AI.
  2. AI hype is linked to misleading promises
  3. AI hype directs energy and resources (and emissions) at something that is barely tangible, far away in the future.
  4. AI hype is also evident in stories that exaggerate the capabilities of AI in the present when effectively humans are still doing most of the work.