“Risk” vs. “Risk” vs. “Risk”: Why AI Arguments Fail Before They Even Start

Inigo Montoya once said, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” Ask members of the AI Triad if they want to reduce “risk.” They will all nod like bobbleheads. Everyone agrees! Except… not really. They are completely, fundamentally talking past each other. The Safetyist thinks risk means human extinction. The Accelerationist thinks risk means the economic cost of falling behind because a regulator made them fill out forms. The Skeptic thinks risk means big tech companies quietly writing the rules to entrench their own monopolies. Same word. Three completely different realities. Humpty Dumpty said it best: “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.” In the civic conversation around AI policy, the bare word “risk” is ground zero for confusion – a total clarity killer. A lack of precise terminology means we don’t even know where we actually agree or disagree. These conversations matter, so we need to fix this.…