AI as Normal Technology

Definition

The analytical and regulatory framework posited by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor that reframes artificial intelligence not as an existential or metaphysical rupture, but as a standard general-purpose computing technology governed by established legal, institutional, economic, and engineering principles.

Key Characteristics

• Rejection of technological exceptionalism and existential hype.
• Focus on mundane, present-day failures: data privacy, algorithmic discrimination, worker displacement, copyright ambiguity, and security vulnerabilities.
• Emphasis on domain-specific empirical evaluation over sweeping generalized claims.

Applications

• Curricular design in creative AI pedagogy (grounding student projects in concrete computational reality).
• Technology policy and institutional governance.

Mentions in Source

• “Demystifies the framing of AI as an uncontrollable metaphysical force, grounding it in mundane infrastructural realities.” — AI as Normal Technology