<![CDATA[Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI".]]>Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". I've just finished reviewing the copy edits, so hopefully it will be in the world soon. Meanwhile, a teaser:

>>

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/topic/613a27c9-0019-4b61-b60f-cb9053ae8114/last-year-someone-specifically-oup-asked-me-to-write-an-encyclopedia-entry-for-ai-.RSS for NodeFri, 17 Apr 2026 11:17:54 GMTWed, 15 Apr 2026 22:49:30 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:28:49 GMT]]>@emilymbender My view is that that *is* the definition of "AI": that which is used to deceive the public (esp. investors/financial class) into believing the machine is capable of doing human-like or far-fetched things it's not.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/dalias/statuses/116414855891082636https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/dalias/statuses/116414855891082636Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:28:49 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:36:20 GMT]]>@emilymbender whenever I discuss β€œAI” I always make it clear that it is a marketing term.

It is a way to obfuscate what the computer is actually doing, which when it’s not relying on probability, is mostly plagiarizing. When used for coding, it is doing database retrieval, often poorly.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/ap/users/115979403618848107/statuses/116414413538958024https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/ap/users/115979403618848107/statuses/116414413538958024Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:36:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:13:07 GMT]]>@emilymbender Funny, I've previously thought, "But how do you formally define it?" Because in isolation, 'artificial' implies it's _not_ intelligence, rather than what it _is_.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/j5v/statuses/116414322306194587https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/j5v/statuses/116414322306194587Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:13:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:20:26 GMT]]>@collective_truth just because the stem word is "Intelligence" does not mean that everything combined with that word is exactly that. Or that one particular field of study should own it.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://darmstadt.social/users/claudius/statuses/116414115098163605https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://darmstadt.social/users/claudius/statuses/116414115098163605Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:20:26 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:16:42 GMT]]>@claudius Can you say more what you mean - I didn't understand what you mean / referring to.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/115967890192375774/statuses/116414100441721342https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/115967890192375774/statuses/116414100441721342Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:16:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:07:08 GMT]]>@djl @emilymbender that is not how words or definitions work.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://darmstadt.social/users/claudius/statuses/116414062827298761https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://darmstadt.social/users/claudius/statuses/116414062827298761Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:07:08 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:46:32 GMT]]>@djl

Well, the original intent of the term was extremely dishonest, so I would argue that the modern appropriations of the term for dishonest ends are actually failry genuine, and it was the poor sods using it for genuine approaches who got fooled and used to provide the term with legitimacy.

@emilymbender

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toot.cat/users/androcat/statuses/116413981814243837https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toot.cat/users/androcat/statuses/116413981814243837Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:46:32 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:40:24 GMT]]>@emilymbender AI is our last warning.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/BoTally54/statuses/116413957682580745https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/BoTally54/statuses/116413957682580745Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:40:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:38:34 GMT]]>@emilymbender And remember:

Everything is a way to:

- Shift Accountability
- Centralize Power
- etc

IF THERE IS FREE LUNCH, YOU ARE THE DINNER! 🍴 πŸ‘€ 🏦 πŸ’΅

(nothing commercially given for free & all is manipulation without good sense)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/115967890192375774/statuses/116413950474051066https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/115967890192375774/statuses/116413950474051066Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:38:34 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:35:52 GMT]]>@emilymbender back in the late 80s I recall much discussion about there being 7 problems that AI in some form would address. One, oddly, was speech synthesis. Another, more reasonably, was speech recognition (note: not understanding, more like transcribing). Image recognition was in there and I forget the others. I think your approach is more useful.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.nz/users/rogerparkinson/statuses/116413939850822383https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.nz/users/rogerparkinson/statuses/116413939850822383Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:35:52 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:25:42 GMT]]>@emilymbender I really love the framing around "understand our world, allocate resources and relate to each other". Itβ€˜s short and yet it really teases at the social values of technology and also just the social power of the meanings of language (which Iβ€˜ve recently been learning a lot about for discourse analysis)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/Sevoris/statuses/116413428008354923https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/Sevoris/statuses/116413428008354923Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:25:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:55:40 GMT]]>@emilymbender

Where & when will it be published?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tldr.nettime.org/ap/users/116210866728705852/statuses/116413309963361357https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tldr.nettime.org/ap/users/116210866728705852/statuses/116413309963361357Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:55:40 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:33:21 GMT]]>@emilymbender If you understand your regression analysis, then it is basic statistics.

If you used some brute force and somewhat understand your regression analysis, then it is machine learning.

And if you have no idea how the mathematical abomination you just created works, and can only take on faith that it produces appropriate results most of the time, then it is AI.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://batchats.net/users/Qybat/statuses/116413222209760926https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://batchats.net/users/Qybat/statuses/116413222209760926Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:33:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 05:09:24 GMT]]>@gabriel @emilymbender OUP is Oxford University Press

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://h-net.social/users/JochenLingelba1/statuses/116412656130534226https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://h-net.social/users/JochenLingelba1/statuses/116412656130534226Thu, 16 Apr 2026 05:09:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 05:01:35 GMT]]>@roytoo @gabriel @bodhipaksa @emilymbender

OUP publishes some superb books.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/users/Npars01/statuses/116412625400927768https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/users/Npars01/statuses/116412625400927768Thu, 16 Apr 2026 05:01:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 04:31:03 GMT]]>@emilymbender
Illuminating...

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.uno/users/Davide_Sandini/statuses/116412505327163770https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.uno/users/Davide_Sandini/statuses/116412505327163770Thu, 16 Apr 2026 04:31:03 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 02:43:06 GMT]]>@emilymbender what happened to AI is a marketing term not a technology

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://dmv.community/users/unfmeghan/statuses/116412080880054494https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://dmv.community/users/unfmeghan/statuses/116412080880054494Thu, 16 Apr 2026 02:43:06 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:47:05 GMT]]>@emilymbender
8. AI is

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/65dBnoise/statuses/116411624690897297https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/65dBnoise/statuses/116411624690897297Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:47:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:55:06 GMT]]>@gabriel
Thanks for asking, I was wondering the same thing.
@bodhipaksa
Thanks for answering!
@emilymbender

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/users/roytoo/statuses/116411420281487115https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/users/roytoo/statuses/116411420281487115Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:55:06 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:41:23 GMT]]>@emilymbender

What is OUP? I'm not familiar with the acronym.

I can't wait to read the entry 😁

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://col.social/users/gabriel/statuses/116411366350367232https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://col.social/users/gabriel/statuses/116411366350367232Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:41:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:37:29 GMT]]>@emilymbender
So much this. Thank you.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://bsd.network/users/hypostase/statuses/116411350975541398https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://bsd.network/users/hypostase/statuses/116411350975541398Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:37:29 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:17:43 GMT]]>@djl
@emilymbender

intelligence has nothing to do with intelligence

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://neuromatch.social/users/lina/statuses/116411273308293754https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://neuromatch.social/users/lina/statuses/116411273308293754Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:17:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:15:26 GMT]]>@emilymbender

AI _SHOULD_ be an approach to Cognitive Science. The parts af AI that aren't have nothing to do with intelligence.

But, careful there. The folks doing domain modelling (Go, chess, protein folding, gradient decent) are reasonable comp. sci. stuff. (Although calling that stuff "AI" is completely ridiculous.)

It's LLMs that are exactly and only parlor tricks.

But the incredibly-stupidity-dense clusterfrack that AI has become is embarassing.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.mit.edu/users/djl/statuses/116411264293145825https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.mit.edu/users/djl/statuses/116411264293145825Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:15:26 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Last year, someone (specifically, OUP) asked me to write an encyclopedia entry for "AI". on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:50:44 GMT]]>In the end, this was a fun project to work on, especially through the readings I got to revisit (and sometimes read for the first time) in the process.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://dair-community.social/users/emilymbender/statuses/116411167151752624https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://dair-community.social/users/emilymbender/statuses/116411167151752624Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:50:44 GMT