How AI and cognitive science swapped their technical vocabularies
In short: Researchers exploring the history of science found that artificial intelligence and cognitive science have engaged in a process of 'conceptual borrowing.' This linguistic crosswiring has led to computers being described with human-like psychological terms, while the human brain is increasingly described as a biological computer.
This entanglement of language is more than just metaphorical; the authors argue it can lead to confusion and damaging assumptions. By analyzing how new disciplines appropriate terms from neighboring fields, the study highlights how technical meanings can become muddled.
The authors present a theoretical analysis of the historical development of these two fields. Because this is a conceptual discussion, the findings are based on linguistic and historical observation rather than empirical data from a specific sample.
Why it matters: Understanding how scientific disciplines borrow language can help us identify and correct misleading conceptual assumptions.
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