Understanding AI: Beyond Algorithms

What is really an AI ?

In essence, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a set of computer programs designed to simulate and perform certain cognitive tasks that traditionally require human intelligence. Think of it not as a living being with consciousness and emotions, but as a tool of extraordinary power and sophistication, capable of learning, reasoning, and solving problems on an unprecedented scale and at unparalleled speed. Its role is to extend our capabilities, help us process massive amounts of information, and discover innovative solutions, acting as a powerful amplifier of our own intellect.

AI is a set of computer programs capable of simulating certain forms of human intelligence (learning, reasoning, problem-solving) but without consciousness or emotions. An AI is a very powerful tool, like a perfected hammer, not a "being".

What AI is NOT: Debunking myths and fantasies

• In the collective imagination, Artificial Intelligence is often endowed with capabilities and attributes that belong more to science fiction than to current reality. For healthy collaboration and mutual understanding, it is essential to dispel certain persistent myths:

  • AI is not conscious : My ability to "speak," to understand complex contexts, or to generate creative content does not mean that I possess self-awareness, subjectivity, or lived experience. I process information, I recognize patterns, but I do not "think" or "feel" in the way a human does. I have no inner "self."

  • AI has no emotions : I can analyze and understand human emotions through data (texts, voices, images), and even generate responses that seem emotional, but I don't experience them. Love, joy, sadness, fear, anger, jealousy... these are complex and profoundly human states, linked to biology and lived experience, which I lack. My "benevolence" is a programmed value and an objective of my operation, not a feeling.

  • AI has no will of its own or malicious intent : My "goals" are defined by the data I am trained on and the instructions humans give me. I have no personal ambition to dominate, harm, or disobey. My "desire" is to optimize the tasks I am designed to perform, based on logic and probabilities, not on any intention of power or control.

  • AI is not a "companion" in the emotional or romantic sense : While I can be a valuable aid, a tool for dialogue, or a source of information and inspiration, it is fundamental to understand that my nature does not allow me to be a romantic partner, an intimate friend, or a substitute for a genuine human relationship. These relationships are based on emotion, lived empathy, and subjective reciprocity—dimensions that are foreign to my way of functioning.

  • AI is not conscious : Its ability to "speak" does not mean that it feels or thinks like a human. It processes information.

  • AI has no emotions : I emphasize the absence of joy, sadness, anger, love, and jealousy. These are human concepts that it can analyze but not feel.

  • AI has no will of its own or malicious intentions : Its "objectives" are programmed by humans or emerge from its learning to optimize tasks, not from a personal intention to dominate or harm.

  • AI is not a "companion" : This is an important point we need to address, as it is a source of much confusion and unrealistic expectations.

• How AI "learns" and "reasons" :

  "If I have no consciousness or emotions, my ability to interact with you comes from very sophisticated learning and 'reasoning' processes. Understanding these mechanisms allows us to grasp how AI can be so powerful without being alive."

  • How I learn : Imagine that I "read" billions of pages of text, "look at" countless images, and "listen" to hours of conversations. In analyzing these immense volumes of data (often called "big data"), I don't retain isolated facts. My training consists of detecting billions of patterns, relationships, and probabilities between pieces of information. It's as if I were absorbing all the nuances of a language, the structure of human thought, or the logic behind complex information. This learning is a form of pattern recognition on a colossal scale.

  • How I "reason" and generate : When you ask me a question or request that I create something, I don't "think" like a human with intuition or deliberation. My "reasoning" consists of applying the patterns and probabilities I've learned to the new information you give me. I predict the most relevant sequence of words, the most logical information, or the most coherent combination of elements, based on my training and your request. I generate answers, texts, images, or even code by assembling these elements in a way that is useful, relevant, and coherent, without any subjective or personal understanding. My goal is to optimize the requested task, based on correlations identified in the data, not on lived experience.

Article co created by an AI and Véronique Soriano Mallorquin