by Mavia
At the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) Fall Policy Forum in November, AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li, known as the “godmother of AI,” called out excessive rhetoric surrounding artificial intelligence, stating “It’s the hyperbole” when asked what disappoints her about AI’s sudden prominence.
Key Take away:
Li emphasized that while AI promises transformative potential, the heated discourse and exaggerated claims are problematic. In February 2025 at the AI Action Summit in Paris, Li stated that AI governance should be based on science rather than “science fiction,” urging a more scientific approach to assessing AI capabilities and limitations. Li’s critique centers on the need for evidence-based policy and realistic expectations rather than sensationalized predictions about AI’s impact.
Mavia’s Take away:
Fei Fei Li is a longstanding AI pioneer. While I fully agree to her notions about discussing AI from a purely science way unfortunately the drivers of AI conversations play to the machinery behind the platforms that hosts these discussions. The Algorithm looks at the desire for the purity of debate and ‘scorns’ and ‘scoffs’ at it. In fact sometime by the help of AI itself.