We think we see the world as it is, but in fact we see it through a thick fog of received knowledge and ideas, some of which are right and some of which are wrong. Like maps, ideas and beliefs shape our experience of the world. The notion that AI is somehow unprecedented, that artificial general intelligence is just around the corner and leads to a singularity beyond which everything is different, is one such map. It has shaped not just technology investment but government policy and economic expectations. But what if it’s wrong?
