Intelligenza artificiale. E se avessimo sbagliato metafora?

Engaging with Elena Esposito’s recent work, Artificial Communication: How Algorithms Produce Artificial Intelligence(2022), this article addresses the epistemological challenges posed by the concept of "artificial intelligence." Esposito argues that while the term serves as a powerful and evocative metaphor, the comparison between human intelligence and algorithms is fundamentally flawed. It is not that machines think like humans, but rather that humans have adapted their communication to interact with machines. Building on this idea, the essay offers a broader reflection on the role of metaphors in shaping social knowledge. Metaphors, such as the one underpinning "artificial intelligence," are not merely illustrative but are active constructs that generate dynamic ideas and shape our understanding of emerging phenomena. Yet, by relying on analogies and assimilation, they may also obscure our ability to grasp the complexity of constantly evolving realities.