AI Anthropomorphism Debate

Commenters criticize the anthropomorphization of AI through terms like 'thinking', 'hallucinating', and 'AI' itself, arguing it misleads by implying human-like intelligence in statistical models.

➡️ Stable 1.1x AI & Machine Learning
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#759
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Keywords

e.g AI OP LLM AGI TBH AFAICT TV PG HUMANS ai intelligence hallucination humans llms artificial intelligence artificial term human agent

Sample Comments

OutOfHere Nov 8, 2025 View on HN

Please cease and desist from labeling things as AI. If you want to criticize the material, assume good faith and criticize it as if it is written by a human.

whateveracct May 10, 2023 View on HN

AI and humans aren't the same thing. Even if we do anthropomorphize AI.

beders Oct 5, 2023 View on HN

Both terms are problematic as they anthropomorphize an algorithm.

VectorLock Apr 8, 2023 View on HN

Anthropomorphization in "prompt engineering" is what really gets me.

Workaccount2 May 7, 2025 View on HN

Wouldn't it be something if AI parlance crept into common parlance...

pfdietz Sep 23, 2023 View on HN

Don't anthropomorphize AIs. They hate it when you do that.

raincole Jun 28, 2024 View on HN

I don't know why the narrative became "don't call it hallucination". Grantly English isn't my mother tongue so I might miss some subtlty here. If you know how LLM works, call it "hallucination" doesn't make you know less. If you don't know how LLM works, using "hallucination" doesn't make you know less either. It's just a word meaning AI gives wrong[1] answer.People say it's "anthropomorphizing" but honestly I can

prirun Jan 24, 2022 View on HN

I think we need to quit calling it AI, and instead call it AS: Actual Stupidity

fuzztester Aug 25, 2024 View on HN

yep, I would call this the anthropomorphisation of llms. undesirable, just as any other kind of anthropomorphisation is.

blixt May 16, 2018 View on HN

The entire English dictionary has evolved into its current state, and there's several words that used to have the opposite meaning just from stubborn ironic use by the masses. As much as I like to be correct about my use of words, I think AI has established itself as a term that will stick around for now.Besides, I really don't think all the stigma comes from the term "artificial intelligence". You don't have to ever mention the term to a child interacting with Alexa,