Is AI snake oil?

Hi, I’m Charley, and this is Untangled, a newsletter about our sociotechnical world, and how to change it.* Come work with me! The initiative I lead at Data & Society is hiring for a Community Manager. Learn more here.* Check out my new course, Sociotechnical Systems Change in Practice. The first cohort will take place on January 11 and 12, and you can sign up here.* Last week I interviewed Mozilla’s Jasmine Sun and Nik Marda on the potential of public AI, and the week prior I shared my conversation with AI reporter Karen Hao on OpenAI’s mythology, Meta’s secret, and Microsoft’s hypocrisy.🚨 This is your last chance to get Untangled 40 percent off. Even better, I partnered with Anya Kamenetz to offer you her great newsletter The Golden Hour for free! Signing up for Untangled right now means you’ll get $140 in value for $54.On to the show!This week I spoke with Arvind Narayanan, professor of computer science at Princeton University and director of its Center for Information Technology Policy. I spoke with Arvind about his great new book with Sayash Kapoor, AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What it Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference. We discuss:* The difference between generative AI and predictive AI, and why we’re both more concerned by the latter.* Whether generative AI systems can ‘understand’ and ‘reason.’* The difference between intelligence and power and why Arvind isn’t so concerned by the supposed existential threats of AI.* Why artificial intelligence appeals to broken institutions.* How Arvind would change AI discourse.* How technical and social experts misunderstand one another.* What a Trump second term means for AI regulation.* What excites Arvind about how his children will experience new technologies, and what makes him nervous.More soon,Charley This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit untangled.substack.com