Why we should stop calling it “AI”

We really should stop calling it “AI.” It’s wrong in so many ways.

Let me start by saying: I love all the so-called “AI” tools. I use them every day as a force multiplier, and I agree with Andrew Ng’s famous keynote back in 2017:

“Just as electricity transformed every major industry about 100 years ago, AI is now poised to do the same.”

But calling it AI is the biggest misnomer of our time. It sets a dangerous precedent, creates false expectations, and fuels an uncertain future.

The “A” is right. The “I” is not.

Yes, it is artificial. But intelligent? Not at all.

“AI” has become the convenient shortcut term. Everyone uses it. But like any shortcut, repetition can blur the truth. Say it often enough and you start to believe it. And when people start believing it’s “intelligent,” that’s when it becomes a problem.

Because I keep hearing the same refrains:

• “AI will replace this.”

• “AI can do that.”

• “Why don’t we just AI it?”

This creates a subtle, constant undercurrent of fear in workplaces, a belief that intelligence is being outsourced to a machine. Yes, there will be job displacement in the future, just like there was during the Industrial Revolution. But instead of throwing “sabots” into the machines out of fear, maybe we should lean in and really understand what it is.

What It Actually Is

As it stands today, these tools are language models. More specifically, large language models (LLMs).

Put simply, they:

• Try to understand what you say in context.

• Use their “large” scale of data and parameters.

• Generate a human-like response that sounds like what you want to hear.

That last part, “…what you want to hear” is significant. That’s not intelligence. That’s LLMs wanting to help.

The Real Rub

Here’s the important part, LLMs can only draw from what’s available, everything from peer-reviewed studies through to Wikipedia entries or Reddit posts.

That makes them powerful, but not definitive.

Treating ChatGPT (or Gemini, or Copilot) as a source of truth is like:

• Treating Wikipedia as a primary reference.

• Treating Reddit as market research.

Useful? Absolutely.

Enough on its own? Absolutely not.

Where the Intelligence Still Lies

So, when you call it AI, remember this: it’s not the intelligent one.

The intelligent one is you. You are the critical thinker. You are the final decision-maker.

These tools are extraordinary, yes. Like electricity, they’ll eventually run through everything. But they’re not a replacement. They are force multipliers — accelerators, amplifiers, and helpers.

And if you want some fun, go ask your favourite LLM to describe itself. The answer might just surprise you.