Ling Zhang
- Jul 7, 2023
- 3 min read

Steering Clear of the AI Mirage and Focusing on Tangible Results with Machine Learning

Navigating the AI Hype: Unleashing the True Potential of Machine Learning

🚨 Attention: The AI Hype Cycle Is Distracting Companies 🚨

The world of artificial intelligence (AI) is filled with breakthroughs and advancements that seem like they should benefit the adoption of ML. However, the growing problem lies in the excessive hype surrounding AI, which often leads to inflated expectations and diverts attention from the true potential of ML to enhance business operations.

Navigating the AI Hype: Unleashing the True Potential of Machine Learning

In reality, most practical ML use cases focus on improving existing processes in simple yet effective ways. Let's not allow the glitz and glamour of AI to overshadow the fundamental purpose of ML: providing actionable predictions, also known as predictive analytics. While ML can offer substantial value, it is essential to avoid the false belief that it is always "highly accurate" like a digital crystal ball.

The true power of ML lies in its ability to drive millions of operational decisions. For instance, ML can predict customer churn and enable companies to provide incentives to retain valuable customers. Similarly, it can identify fraudulent credit card transactions, allowing card processors to prevent unauthorized charges. It is these practical ML use cases that have the most significant impact on existing business operations, and they rely solely on ML techniques.

However, the problem arises when people mistakenly equate ML with AI. While this misconception is understandable, the term "AI" suffers from an inherent vagueness. It has become an umbrella term that lacks consistency in defining any specific method or value proposition. Referring to ML tools as "AI" exaggerates what most ML deployments actually accomplish. In fact, calling something "AI" is an overpromise in itself, as it evokes the idea of artificial general intelligence (AGI), a software capable of performing any intellectual task.

This blurring of boundaries between AGI and ML exacerbates a significant issue with ML projects. Many fail to focus keenly on their value proposition and how ML can genuinely enhance business processes. Consequently, most ML projects fall short of delivering the expected value. On the other hand, projects that maintain a clear operational objective at their core have a much higher chance of achieving their goals.

The problem lies in the elusive definition of "AI" itself. Attempts to define it other than as AGI have proven futile. The term "intelligence" when applied to machines lacks precision, making it challenging to establish measurable goals. Engineering requires precise objectives to drive progress and ultimately succeed in building systems.

To overcome this dilemma, the industry performs a semantic dance known as the "AI shuffle," continuously shifting definitions without arriving at a satisfactory conclusion. It becomes increasingly difficult to differentiate between AI and narrow AI or practical ML deployments due to the blurring of rhetoric and marketing materials.

Defining AI based on its human-like capabilities or its ability to perform tasks traditionally requiring human intervention doesn't provide a lasting definition either. Once a computer accomplishes a task, it loses its allure as we tend to trivialize its significance. The AI Effect highlights this paradox, stating that if a task is achievable, it is no longer considered intelligent.

To navigate these challenges, one approach is to define AI as AGI, software capable of performing any human intellectual task. However, achieving this ambitious goal remains uncertain and may be out of reach for the foreseeable future.

The ongoing confusion between ML and AI creates obstacles for typical ML projects. By labeling them as "AI," we inadvertently associate them with the trajectory towards AGI, misleading decision-makers and leading to project failures.

Reference >> The Four Waves of AI Evolution: Unleashing Business Potential and The Transformation of Decision Making Is Empowered by AI

It's time to embrace a more realistic approach that focuses on improving major business operations effectively. Commercial ML projects primarily aim to achieve operational value, and it's crucial to communicate clearly without resorting to the hype surrounding "AI." Let's call it what it is: ML.

Reports of the imminent obsolescence of the human mind have been greatly exaggerated, which means another era of AI disillusionment is approaching. To protect the ML industry from the next AI Winter, it's crucial to tone down the "AI" rhetoric and differentiate ML from the grandiose claims associated with AI. Let's resist the temptation to ride hype waves and instead emphasize the true value proposition of ML.

Otherwise, when the hype subsides and winter arrives, much of ML's potential will be needlessly discarded along with the myths. It's time to separate fact from fiction and unleash the true power of machine learning.

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