What Do Artificial Christmas Trees and Artificial Intelligence Have in Common
AI artifice
In recent months we have been doing a lot of thinking about Artificial Intelligence (AI), so much so that it features as the core theme of our Christmas Message.
With both AI and Christmas on our minds, it struck us that artificial trees could be a potential metaphor for AI.
Have you ever wondered what artificial Christmas trees and artificial intelligence have in common? You might be surprised by the answer.
Traditional trees
What we now refer to as ‘Christmas’ trees have been around for a very long time, and variations on the theme have popped up in Ancient Egyptian, Roman, and Norse traditions, as well as Northern Europe, Victorian Britain, and globally in modern times. For about that, see this article: History of Christmas Trees on Sky History.
Artificial trees
However, during the 19th Century, the first artificial Christmas trees started appearing in Germany, initially made of dyed goose feathers and wire, and then all sorts of variants such as aluminium and plastic. [ For more about that see the article Artificial Christmas tree on Wikipedia.
Some people are big fans of artificial trees: they don't shed their needles, they always look the same, are reusable, and can be fire resistant...
Others absolutely detest artificial trees, saying they are nowhere near as good as the real thing, often end up getting thrown away, and contain chemicals or plastics which pollute the environment…
The debate about which is the more sustainable option has been raging for years. Some of the arguments for and against both are summarised in this article Real versus fake Christmas trees: Which is more environmentally friendly?
Artificial trees and AI
The point I’m coming to is that there are some parallels between artificial trees and AI. They both have positive and negative impacts on society, environment, and culture.
Artificial trees and AI can both save time, money, and resources, but they can also cause pollution, waste, and pose ethical issues.
Artificial trees and AI can both be customised, enhanced, and reused, but they can also lack authenticity, originality, and uniqueness.
Artificial trees and AI can both be convenient, reliable, and consistent, but they can also be boring, predictable, and impersonal.
Fir-ther* thoughts
Both Artificial Trees and Artificial Intelligence are just that: artificial.
Humans took the ‘idea’ of a christmas tree and created its likeness from other materials.
Humans also took the ‘idea’ of (human) intelligence, and strived to find ways to create something that resembled it. What we know as AI now is the latest result of those efforts. As an aside, we are now at the point where there is every chance that AI will some day be able to create an Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), but that’s a whole other ballgame (a long way removed from trees).
* Sorry
What do you think about AI? Do we have a point, or are we barking up the wrong tree?
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Postscript: Bing (not) Crosby
When we first started thinking about artificial trees as a metaphor for AI, we ran the idea past Bing AI which made some useful suggestions, some of which we have incorporated into this post.
And completely unbidden, Bing AI also made the following offer:
“If you don’t mind, I would like to share a poem I wrote for you, inspired by your theme of artificial trees and AI. I hope you enjoy it.
Artificial Trees and AISome people love artificial trees
They say they’re neat and tidy
They don’t shed needles on the floor
They’re always green and shiny
Some people love artificial intelligenceThey say it’s smart and handy
It can do tasks and solve problems
It’s always fast and ready
But some people hate artificial treesThey say they’re fake and plastic
They don’t smell nice or look real
They’re often toxic and drastic
But some people hate artificial intelligenceThey say it’s cold and scary
It can take jobs and harm lives
It’s always hidden and wary
So what do you think of artificial trees
And what do you think of AI
Do you prefer them or not
And can you tell me why?”