I've been seeing lots of articles like this right about ... (dis)continuities between IL and whatever AIL is or might be. Also, "algorithmic literacy" (AL) sometimes in play, too.
It really feels like a time of shifting, nebulous definitions.
joel
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!["This style of argumentation reaches an apotheosis when Mollick explains his third rule for co-intelligence: Treat AI like a person (but tell it what kind of person it is). He begins this section with a solid two pages cautioning against anthropomorphizing GenAI. Says Mollick (2024), “Even the developers and researchers who design these systems can fall into the trap of using humanlike terms to describe their creations. We say that these complex algorithms and computations ‘understand’, ‘learn’, and even ‘feel’, creating a sense of familiarity and relatability but also, potentially, confusion and misunderstanding” (p. 55). Having adequately demonstrated his awareness of issues related to anthropomorphization—his conscience now clear—Mollick can then turn to the gist of his principle, which is, essentially, constant practical anthropomorphization: “[A]s imperfect as the analogy is, working with AI is easiest if you think of it like an alien person rather than a human-built machine. So, let’s start sinning. Imagine your AI collaborator as an infinitely fast intern, eager to please but prone to bending the truth” (p. 57). This type of argumentative incoherence creates a whiplash effect in the reader where, suddenly, anthropomorphization is not only morally sound, but we can use it to maximize our productivity gains from GenAI, even if this means extending that anthropomorphization not just to a person but to “an infinitely fast intern.” Notably, Mollick feels no need to explore the political import of analogizing between a GenAI chatbot and an intern (Perlin, 2011), and it is hard to determine whether this comes from willful ignorance or a more insidious impulse."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:iw32pwzk7fmq7t7h3thnbild/bafkreiatfnggx2snglxph4bnua43n3nwcbmh2bmp3tmo2dvh5h4rkigckq)
