Do You Prefer Artificial?

“Artificial” things can get a bad rap next to their counterparts, but they have their place. For example, artificial light (i.e. not from the sun)? Super useful, especially at night. And when it comes to skiing, I’ll take artificial snow if I have to. Beats no snow. Artificial isn’t necessarily inferior in all cases, everywhere, all the time. But it is optimized for different values. For example: Artificial grass (i.e. turf) is great for certain contexts, but I don’t want a golf course of artificial grass. Artificial flowers are great for certain scenarios, but I don’t want them at my wedding. Artificial flavoring is yummy (love me some peach rings), but I’d prefer a real peach pie over one with artificially flavored filling. Artificial is an alternative. It’s understood as a trade-off, not a substitute. You trade the real for the artificial when you’re concerned about attributes like cost, convenience, and availability. Which brings me to “artificial” intelligence: surely a…

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