Luka Husar

Project 2

Rebecca Watkins

ENC 2135

In recent years, there has been a tremendous boom in technological advancement, which

is why we are currently living in what is called the “Technological Revolution”. Many people

however are scared of what implications and applications these new technologies such as AI and

machine learning may have on their current, and future lives. The article “The AI Revolution:

The Road to Superintelligence” by Tim Urban and Jeff Dean’s TEDx presentation, “How Will

Artificial Intelligence Affect Your Life”, both tackle this same issue of trying to explain these

advancements, but in very different ways. This essay seeks to analyze the rhetorical strategies

that each of these authors implements and if these are effective at conveying their respective

messages.

The first artifact, the article by Tim Urban is an excellent example of the genre

conventions in online long-form essays, which fall within the context of increasing global

interest in AI. The author’s piece is found on the popular website “Wait But Why” and it

combines humor with deep understanding to effectively reach a wide range of readers. Urban

takes advantage of the interactivity inherent in digital communication through his use of the

internet as a medium for publishing this piece thus making it possible for people to engage one

another more vigorously and better explore complex issues. He holds that writing should be

based on genre principles as well as be influenced by its environment so that it can capture users’

attention and bring them to the logical analysis of possible consequences arising from AI
implementation. With engaging narratives and insightful discussions about AI effects, Urban

effortlessly moves around the landscape created by both convention and context to provide

readers with strong reasons why they should read his essay in today’s world.

Urban is the brain behind the famous Wait But Why blog and is renowned for his good

writing style that appeals to many people. He is able to break down hard concepts into stories

that can be understood by people from different backgrounds implying that one need not have

specialized knowledge in AI to appreciate or comprehend its implications. Accompanied by

Urban’s relaxed yet authoritative language, readers feel like participants with him in a journey of

thoughts. Urban uses a narrative voice special to him to gain attention and stimulate engagement

through themes underscoring his text's depth. Thus, his authorship proves to be a highly effective

tool in conveying the significance of the AI revolution and its potential impact on society.

The medium of this article is a long-form online essay, of which he takes advantage by

adding visuals like graphs, illustrations, and links within his essay. However, writing in this style

does have its limitations considering people’s attention spans, especially in recent years with

younger generations, have been getting shorter and shorter. Even though the internet allows for

endless information, it is still most likely that people will click off if they don’t enjoy the first

few paragraphs. That being said, Urban is careful when balancing information and making sure

his point isn't getting lost in all the technical details. The last thing anyone wants is a boring

article that makes them lose attention in the middle of it. Furthermore, writing in an engaging

way really helps these articles thrive online because there are thousands of other things someone

could be looking at instead. Even with these limits put on him though, Urban writes in a way that

is compelling yet informative enough that keep a variety of different readers engaged from start

to finish.
 Urban’s tone and language in this article are very informal yet authoritative, due to his

use of humor and everyday language to create a sense of camaraderie with his readers. His

informal approach brings daunting topics down to earth, making them easier for everyone to

comprehend. By using this technique, he makes complex ideas accessible to a broad audience,

without the need for a technical background in all these new technologies that are now starting to

gain popularity and interest. When reading the article, Urban tells his audience that he is not an

expert in AI or machine learning, he is just a person who is fascinated by the topic and all the

impact that it is having now and in the future. The enthusiasm by which Urban rights is

contagious and it therefore encourages readers to share in Urban’s excitement about the potential

of AI while also nodding along at the potential risks that come with such advancements.

Moreover, the author modifies his writing purposely to cater to a wide-ranging readership

interested in the consequences of AI. The purpose of Urban is crystal clear: to trigger thinking

and debate about the future of artificial intelligence. In his writing, he intends to make people

think about what will happen as a result of AI development. Furthermore, to establish empathy

with his audience, Urban uses relatable examples such as relating AI to children’s cognitive

development. Urban thus employs his engaging narrative style and thorough exploration of the

potential implications of AI to ensure that both tech enthusiasts and general readers are hooked

and enlightened at the same time.

Tim Urban uses different rhetorical appeals to convince and attract his audience to the

importance of artificial intelligence. He effectively employs logos by making logical arguments

that are supported by evidence. For example, he talks about how AI capabilities have grown

exponentially, saying “AI doesn’t just add to human power, it multiplies it.” This appeal to logic

highlights the transformative nature of AI and how it would simply not be logical to neglect AI
and its capabilities. Moreover, Urban employs pathos by creating emotions about future issues,

he broadly asks if superintelligent AI arrive in the next 30 years. This question creates a sense of

urgency and anxiety which prompts readers to consider what AI developments mean.

Additionally, Urban establishes his credibility, or his ethos, as a knowledgeable observer on the

subject by stating that even though he is not an expert on AI, he has done extensive research and

does know a lot of its implications on human life. Through these rhetorical appeals, Urban

encourages his audience to think deeply about the rise of artificial intelligence. Not only this, but

he also uses metaphorical language to express his message even further.

Urban creates an image with his words, describing recent technologies as “worlds of

other inconceivable sorcery”, giving it a tangible quality that makes people understand it to some

extent because of the intricateness and complexity of AI, it is hard to picture in our heads. This

metaphor fixes that problem in an instant. Another example of metaphor language in this article

is, "Our own experience makes us stubborn old men about the future", which is very effective at

making readers understand the stubbornness of humans when thinking about the future. We’re

scared and we don’t want to admit it but that scares us even more than anything else does. We

have psychological barriers, which makes AI and other emerging technologies all the more scary

for us. Metaphorical language is used throughout this article because it’s so effective at helping

readers grasp the implications of AI development. It’s what helps the audience think so deeply

about such abstract ideas and create their own thoughts on how they feel about them and how

important they could be one day in the not-so-distant future.

Another method that Urban uses in his article is the use of visuals, that in this case are

mostly graphs. He employs these in a way that makes sense. Sometimes it can be difficult to get

the reader to understand things in writing, so including visuals like graphs is always a good idea
to express these ideas that would otherwise be tough to. Urban uses them to bring his readers

along and shows them complex data related to artificial intelligence's advancement. In this article

specifically, he primarily uses graphs to show the rapid pace of AI intelligence development and

the development of human intelligence over time. Additionally, he also compares different AI

technologies, showcases key milestones, and highlights potential future trends using these

devices.

In the second artifact, in the TEDxLA presentation titled “How Will Artificial

Intelligence Affect Your Life”, Jeff Dean uses what is available to him extremely well. The

medium of this artifact is a short powerful presentation/conference, in this case consisting of the

impact that AI will have on humanity’s future. He is not the most skilled at giving presentations

as he is seen stuttering and abruptly finishing sentences without continuity sometimes.

Nevertheless, he conveys his message and the information he is trying to spread rather well.

Dean uses visual aids such as PowerPoint slides and images embedded within his presentation to

get his message across and to be able to better engage the audience. Not only that, but he also has

an uncanny ability to say a lot without saying much at all given that his content is concise and

does not stray from the topic at hand. However, while TEDx talks offer a platform for speakers

to voice their ideas and insights to many, some challenges come with it. One example of this is

the time constraint that is set on the presenters. Typically, TEDx only allows for a maximum of

eighteen minutes per presentation, which can make it difficult for speakers to dive deep into

complex topics or provide detailed information. This can lead to the oversimplification of the

topic that is being discussed, simply because the presenters do not have enough time to go into

detail. Besides the time constraint, another challenge presenters face is the fact that there is

usually a massive live audience that is watching them give their speeches. This could be
disadvantageous to some presenters because, even though they are experts in their respective

fields, they might not be the best public speakers, which could harm their presentation, even

though it had nothing to do with the content it. Nonetheless, the presentation given by Dean is of

extremely high quality, and he uses a lot of rhetorical appeals in it to capture his audience.

In the presentation, Jeff Dean uses rhetorical appeals to persuade his audience to believe

in what he is saying. One of the ways he does this is by using ethos, or credibility. He provides

examples of his expertise and experience in AI and states at the very beginning of his

presentation his role at Google as a senior fellow. In doing so, he earns the trust and respect of

his audience and establishes that what he is saying is coming from a veritable source, which

enhances how strong his argument is and makes the message more persuasive overall. Not only

does he provide ethos but logos as well, meaning logic or reasoning. By providing logical

arguments supported by evidence and data, by showing some examples in which AI is being

implemented such as healthcare and transportation, and by bringing forth the benefits of

incorporating AI into various industries. Dean’s pathos or appeals to emotion, is also very strong

in keeping the viewers engaged and persuaded. During the speech, he provides personal

anecdotes to make an impact on individuals' lives seem more realistic. For example, he shows

the example of the Japanese farmer who implemented the machine learning system that they

created at Google called TensorFlow, which was able to remove remedial and repetitive tasks

that the farmer did not have time to do so he had more time to do other important tasks that

required more attention. Another example is when he spoke about healthcare outcomes or

accessibility for people with disabilities. These examples evoke empathy for the viewers,

prompting them to consider what AI has done up until now.

 To summarize all that has been said so far, both Jeff Dean in the TEDxLA presentation

“How Will Artificial Intelligence Affect Your Life” and Tim Urban in “The AI Revolution: The

Road to Superintelligence” use rhetorical strategies to appeal to and persuade their intended

audiences. To make sense of the complex world of artificial intelligence (AI), Urban takes a

more conversational and casual approach using humor and vivid storytelling to relate with the

readers. He effectively uses metaphors and visual tools like graphs to aid comprehension and

bring focus to key points. On the other hand, Dean uses his authority as a Google senior fellow

and an expert in AI to gain credibility with his audience. Throughout his talk, he provides logical

and concise arguments that are supported by concrete evidence and data while also allowing the

audience to appeal emotionally through personal anecdotes and storytelling. Moreover, both

speakers found a way to utilize rhetorical appeals such as ethos, logos, and pathos in order to

connect with their audiences while conveying their messages. Urban’s article goes into detail

about AI's implications while Dean’s TEDx is shorter and more compact but both of them

provide effective approaches for each medium when trying to engage listeners or readers in

reflecting on the aftermath of AI advancement.

 Bibliography

Urban, T. (2015, January 22). The AI Revolution: The Road to Superintelligence. Wait But Why.

https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artificial-intelligence-revolution-1.html

Dean, J. (2017, January 18). How Will Artificial Intelligence Affect Your Life [Video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfDQNrVphLQ