In his famous book Keywords, Raymond Williams argued that some words carry dense, contested meanings that reveal deeper social and historical struggles. Words like culture, industry, or democracy are not just vocabulary—they are battlegrounds.
This assignment asks you to do something similar for the present moment: identify and analyze the language shaping how we understand artificial intelligence. If AI is the weather system, keywords are the pressure fronts where meaning shifts.
Choose four keywords that you think are especially important for understanding AI today.
For each keyword, write a short entry (about ~200 words each) that include ideas about:
Definition (in your own words)
What does this term mean right now? Not a dictionary definition, but how people actually use it.
Context(s) of Use
Where do you see this word appearing? (tech discourse, news, academia, policy, everyday speech, etc.)
Historical or Conceptual Background
Did this word exist before AI? If so, how has its meaning shifted? If not, what older ideas does it connect to?
Tensions or Debates
What disagreements, ambiguities, or stakes are wrapped up in this term? Who benefits from one definition over another?
“Intelligence” in the age of AI behaves like a shape-shifter, sliding between human cognition and machine performance. In everyday terms, it suggests reasoning, learning, and adapting across situations. In AI contexts, however, it often shrinks to mean success at specific tasks such as generating text or recognizing patterns. A system can appear “intelligent” by producing convincing outputs without understanding, intention, or awareness.
Historically, intelligence has been tied to human minds and measured through tests that reflect cultural assumptions about knowledge and ability. AI reframes the term by prioritizing results over process. This creates tension: is intelligence something you have, or something you do?
The stakes are not trivial. Calling systems “intelligent” can inflate their authority while blurring differences between human judgment and automated output. A chatbot that writes fluid prose may seem intelligent, yet it cannot take responsibility for what it says. The word remains unsettled, doing quiet argumentative work wherever it appears.
Pick words that feel alive, not settled. If a word feels slippery, it’s probably a good choice.
You may (obviously) use AI tools for brainstorming or exploring how a term is used, but:
There is a Canvas Discussion assignment set up. You should be able to copy and paste your assignment into there. It’s a discussion board so we can see each others’ keywords (after you’ve posted), but you don’t need to reply to anyone.