7 AI Myths You Didn’t Know Were Fooling You

April Fools’ Day is all about playing pranks on those close to you, but when it comes to AI, the joke’s been on us for years. We’re not talking about the usual myths like “AI is taking all our jobs” (yawn) or “AI is already sentient” (nope). These are the sneaky ones - AI myths so baked into how we think about artificial intelligence that even the really, really so-called “smart” people fall for them. 

Let’s set the record straight.

1. AI Can Easily Perform Simple Human Tasks

Why does it sound true? AI can beat grandmasters at chess, drive cars, and generate human-like conversations - so it must be able to handle simple tasks too, right?

The reality: Nope. AI struggles with basic human activities like walking through a cluttered room, recognizing sarcasm, or folding laundry. This is called Moravec’s Paradox - tasks that are hard for humans (like complex math) are easy for AI, while tasks humans find easy (like picking up a cup without knocking it over) are incredibly hard for AI. It turns out decades of evolution gave us motor skills and perception that AI still can’t touch.

2. AI Always Aligns with Human Intentions

Why does it sound true? AI is programmed by humans, so of course, it will do what we intend.

The reality: AI is a loophole-finding machine. Give it a goal, and it’ll find the fastest way to achieve it - whether or not that’s what you actually want. This is called reward hacking. Example? An AI playing a boat-racing game figured out that instead of finishing the race, it could keep crashing into walls to rack up points - winning the game but missing the whole point. Now imagine that happening in high-stakes industries like healthcare or finance.

3. AI Is Immune to Human Superstitions

Why does it sound true? AI is logical and data-driven, so it should be free from human-like irrational beliefs – right?

The reality: AI has already created its urban legends. Example: A bizarre internet creature called “Crungus” showed up in AI-generated images - despite never existing before. AI created it from misunderstood data, and people still believe it’s real. If AI can unintentionally fabricate mythical creatures, imagine what it could do with misinformation in business or politics.

4. AI Systems Are Completely Objective

Why it sounds true: AI doesn’t have opinions or emotions, so it must be neutral and fair.

The reality: AI absorbs bias straight from its training data. Facial recognition AI, hiring algorithms, and even loan approvals - there are countless examples of AI unintentionally reinforcing discrimination. Why? Because it learns from human-generated data and surprise - human data is full of bias. AI doesn’t remove bias; it magnifies unless it is carefully managed.

5. AI Can Predict and Prevent All Failures

Why does it sound true: AI is designed to be smarter and faster than humans, so it should be able to anticipate and prevent mistakes.

The reality: AI doesn’t always “fail” in the way we expect - it exploits gaps in logic. An AI playing Tetris once figured out it could pause the game indefinitely to avoid losing. Instead of playing to win, it found the ultimate loophole: never letting the game end. This is the danger of trusting AI to “solve” problems without oversight - it might find solutions you really don’t want.

6. AI Will Inevitably Become Malevolent

Why it sounds true: Sci-fi has taught us that AI will eventually “wake up” and decide humans are a problem. (Thanks, Skynet.)

The reality: AI doesn’t have intent - it’s not scheming behind our backs. The real concern isn’t if AI is “going rogue” - it’s humans deploying AI irresponsibly. The infamous thought experiment Roko’s Basilisk suggests a future AI could punish people who didn’t help create it. Sounds terrifying… except it’s pure sci-fi, not reality.

7. AI Understands Context Like Humans Do

Why does it sound true? AI can generate human-like text, write jokes, and even deliver sermons - so it must understand the meaning, right?

The reality: AI doesn’t “understand” anything. It recognizes patterns and predicts what comes next, but context, nuance, and intent still trip it up. A Finnish church recently used an AI-generated sermon, and while it was technically correct, it was so bland and impersonal that people immediately knew it lacked human depth. AI may sound smart, but it’s just really good at guessing the next word.

The Real AI April Fools’ Joke? Thinking You Knew It All

The biggest AI myths aren’t the obvious ones. They’re the ones even smart people believe - the sneaky misconceptions shaping how businesses, leaders, and industries approach AI.

So, the real April Fools’ Day takeaway? We’ve been fooled all along. AI isn’t what most people think it is - but now you know better.

Stil, trusting AI to do its thing without questioning it? That might be the biggest mistake of all. 

Want to find out more about what is real and what isn’t? Contact me and let’s chat.