The Wrong Word for AI
#Algorithm, virtual, and automation. Three words we use incorrectly, and I’ll explain why. I’ll make three videos, one for each word. Today: why we’re wrong to use “algorithm.”
We hear it everywhere. We know what it means: a sequence of instructions. If A happens, do B. Same input, same output. Always. On social media we got it. An algorithm ranks content inside fixed parameters. More likes, higher up. Rules written by someone, verifiable, predictable.
Now people use the same word for Artificial Intelligence. Wrong word. Technically it works. The problem is what the listener hears. “Algorithm” means procedure, calculation, control. Something predictable.
AI runs on training, weights, probabilities. Same question twice, different answer. No formula. A system that estimates, interprets, and decides on its own.
If you think “algorithm,” you think the system is under control. You trust it with hiring, patient evaluation, customer service. You don’t realize how much autonomy you’re handing over. AI doesn’t execute like a calculator. It chooses. Every time differently. Nobody can explain exactly why.
With an algorithm you give a task to a machine. With AI you give autonomy to a machine. Completely different things.
When we say “algorithm” for AI, we’re reassuring people. We’re saying: it’s under control, it’s predictable. It’s not. What do you think?
#ArtificialDecisions #MCC #AI