{"id":1957,"date":"2024-05-01T12:45:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T12:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/?p=1957"},"modified":"2026-01-21T17:36:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T15:36:16","slug":"artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/","title":{"rendered":"Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, and the Importance of Terminology"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the most debated topics today. It is something that will influence our lives in the near future and may shape the more distant future. There is much discussion about the advantages and especially the risks associated with this new tool, but what is important to understand is how it operates. I deliberately used the word ‘tool’ because AI, despite its name, is not something with autonomous life; it is simply another tool in the hands of humans, which can be used for good or ill.<\/p>\n

\n

Often, those who mention artificial intelligence (or perhaps emphasize its negative aspects) use the term ‘algorithm’, somehow implying that artificial intelligence is an algorithm or has something to do with algorithms. But what is an algorithm? A quick search online provides a definition that states:<\/p>\n

a sequence of instructions or steps that define the operations to be performed on the data to achieve results<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The term algorithm is a Latin deformation of the name of the Persian mathematician Al-Khwarizmi (9th century A.D.) who first (perhaps) wrote a text on ‘rules’, illustrating some mathematical procedures. Essentially, an algorithm in its original definition is nothing more than a description of a series of calculation steps, i.e., a process that is entirely deterministic: if I repeat the same series of operations on the same data, I get the same result.<\/p>\n

\n

We then come to generative artificial intelligence, which is a process that generates, or is presumed to generate, something new. This operates on the basis of so-called neural networks, networks of nodes connected to each other, possibly organized on multiple levels. The functioning of the network depends on how the nodes are connected and interact, and on the output they provide. To train the network, a computer (or a network of computers, which are still machines that perform simple, deterministic operations) is given a large amount of information which this network links together. Based on these connections, AI may be able to produce ‘new’ results, i.e., those that are not predictable in advance. Unfortunately, the way this process occurs is not transparent to either the user or even to those who programmed the AI itself. The important point is that AI, in response to our question, does not simply fish for an answer from the massive amount of information it has received during the training phase, but in some way processes the information and provides an original outcome (whether correct or incorrect remains to be seen, but still new). A simple test that anyone can do is to ask the AI to translate a short text into Italian (or any other language): if you repeat the request twice with the same text, you will get two slightly different translations.<\/p>\n

For those who do not believe what I have just said, i.e., the originality of the responses of artificial intelligence, I recommend consulting the case of AlphaFold 2 (https:\/\/alphafold.ebi.ac.uk), a complex example too lengthy to discuss in this context.<\/p>\n

\n

I want to highlight the similarities in the way an AI system and our brain operate. Throughout our lives, we continuously receive information by reading, studying, observing, talking with others, simply living. All this information is processed and stored in some way, still very little known in its molecular and cellular mechanisms, in our brain. We are no longer aware of much of this information; we have forgotten it, but in some way, it has left a trace within us. Based on all the ‘data’ we have received (is that what could be called experience?), we try to formulate responses to any new question or problem that arises.<\/p>\n

\n

I do not mean to claim that artificial intelligence functions like a human brain, but there is certainly an analogy between the two: both do not operate on the basis of a deterministic algorithm, but on the basis of connections elaborated from all the information assimilated beforehand.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the most debated topics today. It is something that will influence our lives in … <\/i>Leggi di pi\u00f9<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[115,117],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-epistemologia","category-scienze"],"yoast_head":"\nArtificial Intelligence, Algorithms, and the Importance of Terminology - Giuseppe Zanotti<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, and the Importance of Terminology - Giuseppe Zanotti\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the most debated topics today. It is something that will influence our lives in ... Leggi di pi\u00f9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Giuseppe Zanotti\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-01T12:45:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-21T15:36:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Giuseppe Zanotti\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Giuseppe Zanotti\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Giuseppe Zanotti\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/dbce5d532a5279418a517d1de0ab7c1f\"},\"headline\":\"Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, and the Importance of Terminology\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-01T12:45:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-21T15:36:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/\"},\"wordCount\":681,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/dbce5d532a5279418a517d1de0ab7c1f\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Epistemologia\",\"Scienze\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/\",\"name\":\"Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, and the Importance of Terminology - Giuseppe Zanotti\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-01T12:45:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-21T15:36:16+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, and the Importance of Terminology\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Giuseppe Zanotti\",\"description\":\"Author of novels, essays, and academic books.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/dbce5d532a5279418a517d1de0ab7c1f\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/dbce5d532a5279418a517d1de0ab7c1f\",\"name\":\"Giuseppe Zanotti\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/logo-GZanotti.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/logo-GZanotti.png\",\"width\":968,\"height\":137,\"caption\":\"Giuseppe Zanotti\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/author\/giuseppe-zanotti\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, and the Importance of Terminology - Giuseppe Zanotti","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, and the Importance of Terminology - Giuseppe Zanotti","og_description":"Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the most debated topics today. It is something that will influence our lives in ... Leggi di pi\u00f9","og_url":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/","og_site_name":"Giuseppe Zanotti","article_published_time":"2024-05-01T12:45:02+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-21T15:36:16+00:00","author":"Giuseppe Zanotti","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Giuseppe Zanotti","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/"},"author":{"name":"Giuseppe Zanotti","@id":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/dbce5d532a5279418a517d1de0ab7c1f"},"headline":"Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, and the Importance of Terminology","datePublished":"2024-05-01T12:45:02+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-21T15:36:16+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/"},"wordCount":681,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/dbce5d532a5279418a517d1de0ab7c1f"},"articleSection":["Epistemologia","Scienze"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/","url":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/","name":"Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, and the Importance of Terminology - Giuseppe Zanotti","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-05-01T12:45:02+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-21T15:36:16+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-and-the-importance-of-terminology\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, and the Importance of Terminology"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/","name":"Giuseppe Zanotti","description":"Author of novels, essays, and academic books.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/dbce5d532a5279418a517d1de0ab7c1f"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/dbce5d532a5279418a517d1de0ab7c1f","name":"Giuseppe Zanotti","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/logo-GZanotti.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/logo-GZanotti.png","width":968,"height":137,"caption":"Giuseppe Zanotti"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/"},"url":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/author\/giuseppe-zanotti\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1957"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2399,"href":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1957\/revisions\/2399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gzanotti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}