The intelligence illusion: why AI isn’t as smart as it is made out to be
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Original or derivative? Ai-Da, a humanoid AI artist robot, stands in front of its paintings of UK royalty. Credit: Valentin Flauraud/AFP/Getty
The AI Illusion: Why Machines Aren’t Creative Luc Julia Wiley (2026)
French-American computer scientist Luc Julia has worked at the interface of artificial intelligence and consumer technologies for more than three decades. Currently chief scientific officer at the car maker Renault Group, he has previously worked at Samsung Electronics, Apple and Hewlett-Packard. He did early work on the natural-language-processing tools that underlie current generative AI models. In his book, The AI Illusion, translated from French, he argues that the hype and fear surrounding the intelligence and creative abilities of AI models are overblown.
What is the ‘AI Illusion’?
The term aims to address a fundamental misunderstanding about AI that has persisted for nearly 70 years, dating back to 1956 when AI research formally began. The term ‘intelligence’ is widely misunderstood, often leading people to anthropomorphize AI tools, attributing human-like qualities to machines. This illusion has been perpetuated by science fiction and media portrayals, which depict AI systems as potentially dangerous or capable of developing human-like emotions and decision-making skills.
Does AI already have human-level intelligence? The evidence is clear