The AI conversation is a mess — and that’s stopping us from making good decisions

The term "AI" has become so overused that it now describes everything from ChatGPT to toothbrushes, creating confusion about what actually counts as artificial intelligence. While generative AI tools like ChatGPT dominate public attention, most AI systems have been quietly operating for decades in spam filters, fraud detection, and photo sorting. These systems depend entirely on human direction and aren't replacing human thinking but extending it.