Over the past few weeks, AI chatbots have both fascinated and frustrated a wide range of early adopters. Big corporations have lauded them as the next big thing in search engine technology; journalists have tested their accuracy and intelligibility; everyday users have probed the limits of what they know.
Up until now, artificial intelligence has remained within the purview of experts, enthusiasts and the occasional sci-fi fan. Over the next few years, though, it seems entirely possible that AI could become a topic of mainstream discussion — and a contentious one, at that.
To add anything substantive to the discourse, everyday users will have to familiarize themselves with some basic AI concepts. And to do that, they’ll first have to understand whether the chatbots even possess meaningful artificial intelligence in the first place. The question isn’t nearly as straightforward as it may seem.
In spite of what Microsoft may say