Source: Los Angeles Times
by Moti Mizrahi
“We talk to our dogs as if they understand us, curse our laptops when they freeze and even name our cars. So, when an AI system produces fluent, conversational language, our brains instinctively fill in the rest and assign to it intention, understanding and even emotion. Tech companies know this. The more ‘person-like’ a chatbot appears, the more likely we are to treat it as a confidant, a partner or an authority rather than what it actually is, which is a statistical prediction engine. But this habit of seeing minds where none exist comes with real social and political consequences. If we want a future in which we can use AI wisely and trust it when appropriate, we need to break our reflex to treat it like a person.” (03/19/26)