The hype has eclipsed the limitations of third-wave artificial intelligence

The near-term potential of "artificial intelligence" is often overestimated.¹ The potential may be exaggerated in discourse and company strategy, but the risks and difficulties are real. Today, AI refers colloquially to the combination of big data, increased computing capacity, and machine learning algorithms, especially deep learning. Few AI researchers believe that this combination alone will lead to general artificial intelligence.² General AI (that can perform at human levels in all cognitive tasks) is far beyond today's narrow or 3rd-generation AI. Digital devices in our pockets give the appearance of human behavior: names like "Siri" and "Alexa" build on the anthropomorphic sway of the term AI itself.³