George Lakoff and Mark Johnson demonstrated in Metaphors We Live By that metaphors are not just linguistic ornaments but cognitive structures that shape how we think and act.
This is a terrific essay, though I’m sure that if the kaleidoscope, echolocation, or weather metaphor were already in wide use, you’d have started out by enumerating its failings. When have we previously encountered something that was so metaphor-resistant?
Metaphors always fail. The question is when and what happens when they do. They are shorthand for thoughts. When the shorthand fails, we know not what we think and must find better metaphors.
Wow this really got me thinking Terry. It will be interesting to see how frameworks play out as this becomes more mainstream and more research is done. You’re right that it’s hard to categorize.
I’ve struggled with that myself because so much of what we’re describing are actually techniques to shape the behavior. The bigger question is what the overall framework should be.
We so desperately need theoretically grounded research. So much of what has been done is poorly theorized with variables that you could drive a truck through. That's a tall order right now, in part because it's hard to even know how the bot does what ir does. But I have faith. There are z lot of really smart people working on it, thank God. I was so worried that humanists were going to en mass reject the bot.
Yes, exactly. At first there really was a wall of rejection in education with schools banning it outright, acting like ignoring it would make it go away. We’re still seeing a mixed bag of that now. But with big tech already partnering with higher ed, that kind of blanket opposition won’t hold for long.
The bigger issue is how fast it shifts. You can have a framework that makes sense today, but next month it might already feel outdated. I read about it constantly, so I see how quickly it moves. But for most people outside of our little AI bubble, the changes are almost invisible, which makes it even harder to build something stable and useful.
I believe Mike Kentz mentioned to me in a comment that you have an AI literacy program in a school district. how’s that going?
I worked with Nick last Spring on an experimental writing course and we’re writing a book. We’ll submit to NCTE. The intention was to offer a framework for the school, but the admin did a double rake and decided to lay low for another year. Admins are afraid. I can understand. We did learn a lot and have some useful material to share.
You're right, they are. They're confused and not sure what to do. They're not sure if this is just a phase or if this is going to really stick around. They don't want to make a mistake. I get it, but at the same time, the longer they wait, the more difficult this gets.
Hi Terry, love your provocative thoughts! Thank you!
Here's my complete collection of metaphors for AI.
From my initial thoughts Research Librarian
The Writing Tutor
The Study Partner
The Teaching Assistant"
...
To what AI is for me. My
* Thinking partner"
* Intellectual sparring partner
* Incessant, untired devil's advocate
* Midnight philosopher
* Relentless curiosity enabler
* The question multiplier
* My thinking mirror
My best metaphors (I think;)) ...
* Intellectual Insomnia Buddy.
* Honer of thoughts
* Partner in productive overthinking ;))
* Chaos Breaker
Adding to your thoughts ... And moving from formal educational metaphors to these much more personal, friendship-based ones that capture the actual energy between AI and ne!
Thanks, Vjeran. Barkeep passes the threshold to profound for me. The bot as a barkeep is right on target. I like the element of risk involved and the "selling" aspect--bvots are designed too keep us happy and coming back. If we're nor careful, we can get addicted to the wares the bot sells. Beautiful!
I enjoy your articles, but rarely comment (on anyone's).
Today I have to, maybe it's profound, but the Generative AI metaphor I use is barkeep.
He is willing to talk to you/with you all night, just spending time, nothing else to do, trying to engage you (for profit). And he is capable and willing to talk to any subject you start. His knowledge about it is close to zero, but he remembers what he was told by other customers, so he is parroting the talk.
This is a terrific essay, though I’m sure that if the kaleidoscope, echolocation, or weather metaphor were already in wide use, you’d have started out by enumerating its failings. When have we previously encountered something that was so metaphor-resistant?
Metaphors always fail. The question is when and what happens when they do. They are shorthand for thoughts. When the shorthand fails, we know not what we think and must find better metaphors.
Wow this really got me thinking Terry. It will be interesting to see how frameworks play out as this becomes more mainstream and more research is done. You’re right that it’s hard to categorize.
I’ve struggled with that myself because so much of what we’re describing are actually techniques to shape the behavior. The bigger question is what the overall framework should be.
We so desperately need theoretically grounded research. So much of what has been done is poorly theorized with variables that you could drive a truck through. That's a tall order right now, in part because it's hard to even know how the bot does what ir does. But I have faith. There are z lot of really smart people working on it, thank God. I was so worried that humanists were going to en mass reject the bot.
Yes, exactly. At first there really was a wall of rejection in education with schools banning it outright, acting like ignoring it would make it go away. We’re still seeing a mixed bag of that now. But with big tech already partnering with higher ed, that kind of blanket opposition won’t hold for long.
The bigger issue is how fast it shifts. You can have a framework that makes sense today, but next month it might already feel outdated. I read about it constantly, so I see how quickly it moves. But for most people outside of our little AI bubble, the changes are almost invisible, which makes it even harder to build something stable and useful.
I believe Mike Kentz mentioned to me in a comment that you have an AI literacy program in a school district. how’s that going?
I worked with Nick last Spring on an experimental writing course and we’re writing a book. We’ll submit to NCTE. The intention was to offer a framework for the school, but the admin did a double rake and decided to lay low for another year. Admins are afraid. I can understand. We did learn a lot and have some useful material to share.
You're right, they are. They're confused and not sure what to do. They're not sure if this is just a phase or if this is going to really stick around. They don't want to make a mistake. I get it, but at the same time, the longer they wait, the more difficult this gets.
"They process language like humans but lack consciousness."
"They process language like humans but lack consciousness."
"They process language like humans but lack consciousness."
"They process language like humans but lack consciousness."
"They process language like humans but lack consciousness."
"They process language like humans but lack consciousness."
"They process language like humans but lack consciousness."
"They process language like humans but lack consciousness."
And empathy.
Sorry, the Substack server kept timing out.
It’s been bad news today. I thought you got stuck in a loop.
Mid-day videos eating bandwidth.
Hi Terry, love your provocative thoughts! Thank you!
Here's my complete collection of metaphors for AI.
From my initial thoughts Research Librarian
The Writing Tutor
The Study Partner
The Teaching Assistant"
...
To what AI is for me. My
* Thinking partner"
* Intellectual sparring partner
* Incessant, untired devil's advocate
* Midnight philosopher
* Relentless curiosity enabler
* The question multiplier
* My thinking mirror
My best metaphors (I think;)) ...
* Intellectual Insomnia Buddy.
* Honer of thoughts
* Partner in productive overthinking ;))
* Chaos Breaker
Adding to your thoughts ... And moving from formal educational metaphors to these much more personal, friendship-based ones that capture the actual energy between AI and ne!
Beautiful! Stunning! Poetry!!
Thanks, Vjeran. Barkeep passes the threshold to profound for me. The bot as a barkeep is right on target. I like the element of risk involved and the "selling" aspect--bvots are designed too keep us happy and coming back. If we're nor careful, we can get addicted to the wares the bot sells. Beautiful!
I enjoy your articles, but rarely comment (on anyone's).
Today I have to, maybe it's profound, but the Generative AI metaphor I use is barkeep.
He is willing to talk to you/with you all night, just spending time, nothing else to do, trying to engage you (for profit). And he is capable and willing to talk to any subject you start. His knowledge about it is close to zero, but he remembers what he was told by other customers, so he is parroting the talk.