The manner in which discourse about AI is conducted – whether in the media or the workplace – has become an urgent ethical question.
Alongside the surge in excitement about the availability and potential of new AI technologies, exaggerated claims can mislead the public, businesses, and policymakers, creating unrealistic expectations and influencing critical decisions without a solid understanding of AI’s true potential and limitations. As AI technology evolves faster than regulatory frameworks and public comprehension, it’s crucial to communicate its capabilities accurately. Misrepresentation not only distorts perceptions but also poses ethical challenges, affecting everything from investment decisions to policy-making.
Our existing work includes a deep drive into how exaggerated claims about AI can mislead the public. We aim to decode, navigate, and challenge misleading hype narratives, equipping the public with a deep understanding of AI’s potential and its limitations.
We are working to provide a library of resources and analysis on AI Hype. In the meantime, the research essays below help to support the skills to critically assess AI-related claims, and support a more informed public discourse.
When we think about how to define what hype is, it is important to differentiate between different usages of the word “hype” in order to be precise about the specific phenomenon we are concerned with. The word exists in noun and verb form, and can refer to the amount and energy of media discourse and coverage of AI, and also the practice of generating interest for promotional purposes.
Our specific concern is primarily related to the second usage, but most significantly, where the excitement and enthusiasm is characterized by the “extravagant exaggeration” which defines hyperbole.
This results in misrepresentation and overinflation of AI capabilities and performance, which is how we define AI hype in this context.
To research the motivations and mechanisms that impede public literacy about AI, we worked with the AI and Ethics Journal to edit research and opinion articles exploring the scope, scale, and consequences of the phenomenon of AI hype.
The resulting twenty submissions were published as a quarterly edition of the AI and Ethics Journal, as a Collection on the Ethical Implications of AI Hype.
The aim of this Special Edition was to explore diverse perspectives from academia, civil society, and industry on the impact of AI Hype and its ethical implications. The papers in this collection examine the ways in which myths, misrepresentation, and overinflation associated with AI capabilities and performance can influence policy agendas, business decisions, and individuals. The authors of this Topical Collection identify how mechanisms such as framing, linguistic devices, terminology, and representation can influence mental models and the trajectory of future developments relating to AI. We hope these papers can spur further dialogue across a variety of disciplines on how to accurately and responsibly discuss the fields and impacts of AI.
In September 2024, we hosted a free online seminar to explore the research collection on the ethical implications of AI Hype. The symposium featured insights from over 30 authors across various disciplines, who contributed to a new topical collection of 20 research and articles for the AI and Ethics Journal, published in 2024 as Volume 4, Issue 3.
The event was a platform to explore from a wide range of perspectives the overinflation and misrepresentation of AI capabilities, and examine AI hype’s impact on public discourse, policy, business, and more. It incorporated a range of session formats, including presentations from authors, interviews, panel discussions, group discussions, and Q&A sessions.
Some of the topics discussed were the global impact of AI hype, the potential benefits and challenges posed by the exaggerated claims often associated with artificial intelligence, how it manifests, historical roots, societal and environmental consequences, its impacts on education and science, the image and sonic framing of AI narratives, ethical and cybersecurity challenges of adopting generative AI in businesses, and responsible use of AI technologies.
The rapid deployment and release of AI technologies and tools have resulted in a widespread pattern of hype, often leading to misconceptions and unrealistic expectations of AI. It is crucial for public understanding and voice to decode the narratives surrounding AI – and ensure the information surrounding new advancements is accurate and truly informative.