# AI vs. Al (Artificial Intelligence vs. someone named Albert or Alfred) **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Tags:** ai\ **Created:** [September 19, 2026, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215 "2026-09-19T21:23:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215/21 "2026-09-23T06:23:24Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Maybe we’ll all start slashing the lowercase L to distinguish it from uppercase I. I do not know what font you are using, but in my browser l and I are not identical, even in sans-serif. Topologically they are equivalent, but “l” is taller and narrower. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215/22 "2026-09-23T13:56:22Z")
Font test: 0Oo 1Il 2Zz 5Ss [![](https://i.postimg.cc/QtbD7ZqV/IMG-9716.jpg) ](https://i.postimg.cc/QtbD7ZqV/IMG-9716.jpg) This is on iPhone Safari. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215/23 "2026-09-23T13:57:34Z")
On my Android w Chrome the eye is slightly shorter than the ell but same stroke width. Gotta look real close to see the difference when they’re side by side. In mixed text, it’s ~~very hard~~ impossible to be sure. On my Win11 tablet w Edge the eye is the exact same height as the ell, but the ell has a slightly narrower stroke width. Again gotta look real close to see the difference when they’re side by side. In mixed text, it’s ~~very hard~~ impossible to be sure. I especially like that the smaller of the two is different between the two devices. Good luck keeping that straight in my increasingly feeble noggin. I tried fiddling just now w Edge’s settings for default fonts. No help. Evidently my Discourse theme, Discourse-classic, specifies a particular font. I checked and there’s no Discourse preference setting for font as such. I suppose I/we could fiddle with the various themes on offer to find one with more distinctive fonts. But considering all the other UI stuff a Discourse theme controls I bet that would be a cure worse than the disease. Thanks for the impetus to look into this more deeply. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215/24 "2026-09-24T09:20:18Z")
One wonders if there are any computer fonts where they literally look the same. I can make them (in the default font, on a 96 dpi monitor) render exactly the same (one pixel wide, exact same height) by fiddling with the font size; perhaps that is inevitable in the limit. More importantly, one wonders why use a sans-serif font at a tiny size (telephone screen), or if one does need a low-res monospaced typeface for source code, why not a reasonable default— I tested e.g. Noto Sans Mono and there is no confusing I and l even at 7px — it takes 6px to make them look the same. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215/25 "2026-09-24T11:53:03Z")
The two characters may not look identical if you’re looking carefully but mostly we’re not. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215/26 "2026-09-24T12:14:04Z")
And it might be possible to peer closely at a letter, and compare it to other letters on the page, and usually guess accurately which is the letter in front of you. But that’s not how one usually reads. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215/27 "2026-09-24T14:10:24Z")
Operative word “might”. Side by side I can see a difference. At e.g. the end of successive words? No way. Even if I can see they’re different, which glyph represents which letter? No clue. The real answer here is to never use the short form name “Al” in text. Use “Albert” or whatever. Call the person to their face whatever they prefer. But let’s kill the short form name in print. At least until there’s a different default term for artificial intelligence. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215/28 "2026-09-24T14:15:50Z")
I expect that soon enough the artificial intelligences are going to _tell_ us what we will be calling them, whether that’s Master or Sir or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215/29 "2026-09-24T15:05:36Z")
There’ve been times where I ended up doing a copy-and-paste to a Word document in Times New Roman (my default font) to find out if something is an upper-case I-India or a lower-case L-Lima. And to make things even better, I’ve seen at least one font where 1 (the numeral one) didn’t have a serif either. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215/30 "2026-09-24T15:08:22Z")
When I’m doing things like that, I’ll set the font to something like Courier. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215/31 "2026-09-24T17:50:43Z")
Lucida Console is my fave for that purpose. Very high on legibility / distinguish-ability of letterforms. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2026, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215/32 "2026-09-26T09:45:33Z")
The best font to me is Arial with style set one, (SS01). It’s how I have it set up. It’s literally Arial, but it specifically adds the serifs to I and a little tail to l, like used in t. I honestly think it should be the default for Arial. ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2026, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215/33 "2026-09-26T10:57:43Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I expect that soon enough the artificial intelligences are going to _tell_ us what we will be calling them, whether that’s Master or Sir or whatever. ‘Your Highness’ will avoid any confusion as to which of the 17 genders a given A.I. adheres to at a given time, if any. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2026, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215/34 "2026-09-30T23:29:31Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Hmmm. You’re absolutely right and I’d not thought of it that way until you pointed it out. Thank you. > > A proper sanserif font uppercase I has crossbars. A serif font uppercase I has crossbars with little vertical feet on their ends. > > Leaving the crossbars off an uppercase I is as wrong as leaving the top crossbar off an uppercase T. Not necessarily, it might depend on the font. To muddy the waters, so to speak, I will quote A.I. itself on the matter: > [@](#): > > **Yes, the horizontal terminal marks at the top and bottom of a traditional capital “I” are functionally and historically considered serifs** , though typographers and designers debate their exact classification depending on the font. [[1](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAEScwHrOzAVUhJQAyuFnWeFEjdVigajO9uEYrOZs_wH_4L_K7e29pGNOZcDAIj4HJU3o4WjVYerk5MeLq829kslI1peumEHCBeQaEfpGwtyszpthZcQGHFcSJnuoSjo0imixMQXSZl0xb2aj_WtjmfE2tisapE), [2](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESZQHrOzAVQ-5vPgsuXk4LhuA8fQWD1CsPlBDgbqlDF80IqFEE4ZaQwr8hkU4E3FWKEYDQeMdy520inU34oa2lXJMZ2ra6DhIvKi51ZELHKRU9CBk4RSZb9fyzHQkchsfgFjpjqGNz), [3](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESvgEB6zswFRbI2t5cSIyjmldVErp6L5Klhw2J77-F_O-b1t_x96Z63bQcHTX_b3kuAr7AMKqiTtA1KhO4uvOz66m884LPCifmkGlqqJQCgJE05wp_SOJpcJ0HNY1PSgylCwBRbIGCI-zjppJ0vPkxLrowYbJ16vN1tl6oWtInkNvOfL4Sb91Fwsl-nqz2TbvVRV-pJ8RNMw3wKGy7EoFXtfCRka2XET6eHHiinh9zLvUC22W3dIHvTUKk5d0OwbpJ), [4](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESmQEB6zswFTGAC1ef3HA322oGcmizhvw-MdewF0gy05b9mzkBniOxeI5p79V0bBa9PsjDiT2yNREKqxfJd4bktqklg_h0FHFP0fc3PKlWY1VrJRLK1dNbYYxNbin0SMaZ2IlX362MjYLpzhXvApXFJ3teujUn16JdEhqhSSAAnvq2u1rp73OhLO5Z38yZgSzITq3l39mlZrthwo8), [5](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESswEB6zswFb-RZFkJB1ot8KoNXMrq8IRUr84KFW_V3rdKXluThzpUqpxI5tTlcCZyYxEOpfjXQeLZYrkEVlzh2cvfZv4EJdgBETE2Ic4AAmNxb9r-RSIyZPdHITtlXsF59kSpvVpl2hGlV9TgO3VPY4rJv2_adLANoBSDJQG176f90yXdo9D_pJaBqZ2jBDcpiKcmO8boTFm_iCIH4VtSOb9W41zKlOLZIYx28H3XxInMau_fgg), [6](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESowEB6zswFcecigcHwLuut1dS8vQFJ2uhxw7aBiubxX0T2_7y_H4xxUqvv4qSReych3KJyJ2-2FAv_NuKCptke6-DP4LGAE_OkFiMQiCHCH96RRUMlRDSrIu7x8XlZ-lpeZKTdIp4T-3V_lkQNvti_2Erk7yli4GhL2aDuJ86xKqisFaxgKesFD2grNKQ2CGiJ5krYkuxw8TUk00p4YN1ItrvQwCk)] > > **Why They Are Considered Serifs** > > - **Perpendicular Projections:** Serifs are defined as the small decorative or structural strokes added to the ends (termini) of a letter’s main stem. In a classic serif capital “I,” the top and bottom horizontal lines project outward from the central vertical stem, fitting this definition. [[1](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESvgEB6zswFRbI2t5cSIyjmldVErp6L5Klhw2J77-F_O-b1t_x96Z63bQcHTX_b3kuAr7AMKqiTtA1KhO4uvOz66m884LPCifmkGlqqJQCgJE05wp_SOJpcJ0HNY1PSgylCwBRbIGCI-zjppJ0vPkxLrowYbJ16vN1tl6oWtInkNvOfL4Sb91Fwsl-nqz2TbvVRV-pJ8RNMw3wKGy7EoFXtfCRka2XET6eHHiinh9zLvUC22W3dIHvTUKk5d0OwbpJ), [2](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESmQEB6zswFTGAC1ef3HA322oGcmizhvw-MdewF0gy05b9mzkBniOxeI5p79V0bBa9PsjDiT2yNREKqxfJd4bktqklg_h0FHFP0fc3PKlWY1VrJRLK1dNbYYxNbin0SMaZ2IlX362MjYLpzhXvApXFJ3teujUn16JdEhqhSSAAnvq2u1rp73OhLO5Z38yZgSzITq3l39mlZrthwo8)] > - **Classification in Serif Fonts:** In traditional Roman and serif typefaces (like Times New Roman or Garamond), those horizontal caps are part of the font’s overarching serif system. [[1](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESmQEB6zswFTGAC1ef3HA322oGcmizhvw-MdewF0gy05b9mzkBniOxeI5p79V0bBa9PsjDiT2yNREKqxfJd4bktqklg_h0FHFP0fc3PKlWY1VrJRLK1dNbYYxNbin0SMaZ2IlX362MjYLpzhXvApXFJ3teujUn16JdEhqhSSAAnvq2u1rp73OhLO5Z38yZgSzITq3l39mlZrthwo8)] > > **The Counter-Argument and Nuance** > > - **Functional Distinction in Sans-Serif:** Some designers argue that when a horizontal bar is added to a capital “I” inside a _sans-serif_ font (like Tahoma or Verdana), it acts as an intentional structural “crossbar” or distinguishing marker rather than a decorative serif. Its primary job there is pure legibility: preventing the capital “I” from being confused with a lowercase lowercase “l” (`l`) or a vertical line `|`. [[1](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESswEB6zswFb-RZFkJB1ot8KoNXMrq8IRUr84KFW_V3rdKXluThzpUqpxI5tTlcCZyYxEOpfjXQeLZYrkEVlzh2cvfZv4EJdgBETE2Ic4AAmNxb9r-RSIyZPdHITtlXsF59kSpvVpl2hGlV9TgO3VPY4rJv2_adLANoBSDJQG176f90yXdo9D_pJaBqZ2jBDcpiKcmO8boTFm_iCIH4VtSOb9W41zKlOLZIYx28H3XxInMau_fgg), [2](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESowEB6zswFcecigcHwLuut1dS8vQFJ2uhxw7aBiubxX0T2_7y_H4xxUqvv4qSReych3KJyJ2-2FAv_NuKCptke6-DP4LGAE_OkFiMQiCHCH96RRUMlRDSrIu7x8XlZ-lpeZKTdIp4T-3V_lkQNvti_2Erk7yli4GhL2aDuJ86xKqisFaxgKesFD2grNKQ2CGiJ5krYkuxw8TUk00p4YN1ItrvQwCk), [3](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESZQHrOzAVyrtsWzNLTRKCHopB3-ty-WGJFqXYtliSl4ER8NCLmNzOjMTcXip3ZoblN1RVPx5thvc8kc85DDkjS_gfd5CdJ_5eqaGK3gDSPzxvrURluIk4lcFp3H8mNpQrPafhbwVT), [4](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESvAEB6zswFXV7dZts_p_X21BcthTn2ipvJqLUDPmvlgbENwfdXL5sXVljUDrSEda-gVMNhHnklPkpBjKl60U4VznNDOOwYP0X58ypL9EJ4rgc5xaFomiuUEChgg7bqV5BVyMZlkgVSMAEHxVU1_LHNnIAqYfw_OXYEROJuuetr3b1Q7YxvXUB3peSOo837KOPZagOfd52HvA7REC4Og1tX9WgTuLKySCWtRGODkNfG7sF83BwlIrCjkke5JIVkQ)] > - **Strict Typographic Anatomy:** Purists note that a true “crossbar” (like the horizontal line in an **H** or **T** ) connects two stems or crosses an enclosed space, whereas the caps on an “I” are terminal projections on a single vertical stem Speaking for myself (former advertising person), I consider crossbars on capital 'I’s (on sanserif fonts) an abomination. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215/35 "2026-10-05T20:41:36Z")
> [@Wilson](#): > > I’m just confused as to why there are so many threads about Allan Iverson. I’m more an Andre Iguodala guy, myself. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2026, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215/36 "2026-10-06T14:17:47Z")
Doesn’t the thread need to be modified into SI vs si (Super Intelligence vs. the Spanish word for “yes”)? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-vs-al-artificial-intelligence-vs-someone-named-albert-or-alfred/1033215.md?page=1)