The Four Filters of AI Knowledge
A must-have manual to navigate this interest-driven world and find the truth
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This article is a selection from The Algorithmic Bridge, an educational newsletter whose purpose is to bridge the gap between algorithms and people. It will help you understand the impact AI has in your life and develop the tools to better navigate the future.
The Algorithmic Bridge was born to fulfill a need: educating non-technical people about AI. Particularly, about how it interacts with everything else: TAB is a newsletter focused on and directed to the world beyond AI.
Is in that sense that this essay is one of the most important I’ve written.
I’m of the opinion that everyone should have basic notions about AI — maybe not about what it is (the nitty gritty technical details), but about how it influences our lives. That’s what I aim to do with TAB.
Yet, I realize that, despite my insistence that you should apply “critical thinking” and have a “healthy skepticism” when learning about AI, I’ve never explained how to do it.
That’s what this piece is about. I’ll explain the “how” with the help of four filters.
When I put on my “critical thinking” glasses, I suddenly see four filters that separate me from knowing what’s really going on in AI. Those filters aren’t always present but when they are, I better have my glasses on.
I keep them on when reading news articles, company announcements, papers, books, etc. Everything. Otherwise, they could distort my perception and I may end up not just not knowing the truth but with the illusory certainty that I do.
Today, I’ll explain with examples what these filters are, why they exist, and how to notice them.
I’m biased, but this is a must-have manual on AI discourse for any layperson who wants to learn to discern the wheat from the chaff. If you want to know what’s marketing, hype, or exaggeration, and what’s the…
