I think it could be safely assumed that people have an idea of “software”, and that they know that AI is a type of software.
I second faul_sname’s point. I have a relative whose business involves editing other people’s photos as a key step. It’s amazing how often she comes across customers who have no idea what a file is, let alone how to attach one to an email. These are sometimes people who have already sent her emails with files attached in the past. Then add all the people who can’t comprehend, after multiple rounds of explanation, that there is a difference between a photo file, like a jpeg, as opposed to a screenshot of their desktop or phone when the photo is pulled up. Yet somehow they know how to take a screenshot and send it to her.
For so many people, their computer (or car, or microwave, etc.) really is just a magic black box anyway, and if it breaks you go to a more powerful wizard to re-enchant it. The idea that it has parts and you can understand how they work is just… not part of the mental process.
I second faul_sname’s point. I have a relative whose business involves editing other people’s photos as a key step. It’s amazing how often she comes across customers who have no idea what a file is, let alone how to attach one to an email. These are sometimes people who have already sent her emails with files attached in the past. Then add all the people who can’t comprehend, after multiple rounds of explanation, that there is a difference between a photo file, like a jpeg, as opposed to a screenshot of their desktop or phone when the photo is pulled up. Yet somehow they know how to take a screenshot and send it to her.
For so many people, their computer (or car, or microwave, etc.) really is just a magic black box anyway, and if it breaks you go to a more powerful wizard to re-enchant it. The idea that it has parts and you can understand how they work is just… not part of the mental process.