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Have these AI True Believers heard of the phrase: sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic? What’s magical about a recommendation system? Or statistical learning?

Well maybe they are? But they are all very specialized tools. And it’s not difficult to understand how they conceptually work. I guess...

Meanwhile a conversational partner in a box that can answer any of my questions? (If they eventually live up to the promise) Umm, how the hell would a normal person not call that magical and indeed “AI”?

I’m sorry but the True Believers haven’t made anything before which is remotely close to AI. Not until contemporary LLMs. That’s why people don’t call it that.