Narrow AI (Weak AI)
AI designed and trained for specific tasks within defined parameters — image classification, language translation, recommendation systems, fraud detection. Every AI system deployed in the real world today is narrow AI, regardless of how sophisticated it appears.
Why It Matters
Understanding that all current AI is narrow prevents both over-hype and misplaced fear. Governance frameworks should be designed for narrow AI's actual capabilities and failure modes, not for hypothetical general intelligence.
Example
A chess AI that can defeat any human grandmaster is narrow AI — it cannot play Go, recognize faces, or answer questions about chess strategy. Its extraordinary competence in one domain doesn't transfer to any other domain.
Think of it like...
Narrow AI is like a world-class concert pianist who can't cook, drive, or do laundry — extraordinarily skilled in one area, completely helpless outside it.
Related Terms
Foundation Model
A large AI model trained on broad data at scale that can be adapted to a wide range of downstream tasks. Foundation models serve as the base upon which specialized applications are built.
AI Governance
The frameworks, policies, processes, and organizational structures that guide the responsible development, deployment, and monitoring of AI systems within organizations and across society.