What is the difference between artificial intelligence and cognitive science?

Question

Sometimes I understand that people doing cognitive science try to avoid the term artificial intelligence. The feeling I get is that there is a need to put some distance to the GOFAI.

Another impression that I get is that cognitive science is more about trying to find out how the human intelligence or mind works. And that it would use artificial intelligence to make tests or experiments, to test ideas and so forth.

Is artificial intelligence (only) a research tool for cognitive science? What is the difference between artificial intelligence and cognitive science?

Answer 1

Another impression that I get is that cognitive science is more about trying to find out how the human intelligence or mind works. And that it would use artificial intelligence to make tests or experiments, to test ideas and so forth.

I think that's pretty much it. I mean, clearly there is some overlap, but I feel like most people who use "cognitive science" are referring more to understanding human intelligence for its own sake. Artificial Intelligence, OTOH, is more about implementing "intelligence" on a computer, where the techniques used may or may not be influenced by research done under the rubric of cognitive science.

Answer 2

Artificial intelligence is much more than a research tool for cognitive science. Of course there is some overlapping and researchers of both fields working together. But AI is also broadly used in economics, security (for example face recognition software), advertising, or in the development of games and of course in robotics (autonomous systems).

The difference is - as you already mentioned - that cognitive science deals with living things while AI tries to create an intelligence artificially (AI tries to deliver the brain, the mind or the consciousness for a hardware device that then hopefully solves various problems).