I agree that those companies are worth distinguishing. I just think calling them âlabsâ is a confusing way to do so. If the purpose was only to distinguish them from other AI companies, you could call them âAI bananasâ and it would be just as useful. But âAI bananasâ is unhelpful and confusing. I think âAI labsâ is the same (to a lesser but still important degree).
Unfortunately thereâs momentum behind the term âAI labâ in a way that is not true for âAI bananasâ. Also, it is unambiguously true that a major part of what these companies do is scientific experimentation, as one would expect in a laboratoryâthis makes the analogy to âAI bananasâ imperfect.
I agree that those companies are worth distinguishing. I just think calling them âlabsâ is a confusing way to do so. If the purpose was only to distinguish them from other AI companies, you could call them âAI bananasâ and it would be just as useful. But âAI bananasâ is unhelpful and confusing. I think âAI labsâ is the same (to a lesser but still important degree).
Unfortunately thereâs momentum behind the term âAI labâ in a way that is not true for âAI bananasâ. Also, it is unambiguously true that a major part of what these companies do is scientific experimentation, as one would expect in a laboratoryâthis makes the analogy to âAI bananasâ imperfect.