AI METAPHOR ENCYCLOPEDIA

AI is often described as a black box. We know what goes in, we know what comes out, but we apparently aren’t sure what happens inside. The technical complexity of this technology is often weaponised by corporations to dodge accountability, by claiming they simply don’t understand their own machines.

What are the implications of using this metaphor?
Could other metaphors help us describe AI more honestly?

Metaphors aid our understanding of something complex by comparing it to something we know, but they also emphasise some parts while obscuring others, meaning they have the power to influence our views.

By being critical of what metaphors we use, we can start to open the black box.