People keep anthropomorphizing AI. Here’s why

Companies and journalists both contribute to the confusion

People have been anthropomorphizing AI at least since ELIZA in the 1960s, but the new Bing chatbot seems to have kicked things up a notch. This matters, because anthropomorphizing AI is dangerous. It can make the emotionally disturbing effect of misbehaving chatbots much worse. Besides, people might be more inclined to follow through if the bot suggests real-world harm. Most importantly, there are urgent and critical policy questions on generative AI. If ideas like “robot rights” get even a toehold, it may hijack or derail those debates. Experts concerned about this trend have been trying…

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