The Human Need to Anthropomorphise Everything

Bry Wills, "On the Chronic Human Need to Anthropomorphise Everything – Philosophics," explores the human tendency to attribute human-like qualities to non-human entities, particularly large language models (LLMs). It argues that anthropomorphism is a fundamental human trait, not a flaw, stemming from an evolutionary need to perceive agency in the environment. The text explains that humans interact with AI as if it were a person because our brains are better equipped to model other minds than complex neural networks, making the interaction smoother. However, the article also highlights the risks of this behaviour, such as falsely believing AI possesses consciousness or intent, and it laments the limitations of human language in adequately describing these complex, non-sentient systems. Ultimately, the source suggests a need for "anthropomorphic agnosticism" and an evolution of language to better understand and legislate for AI, while acknowledging that our projections reveal more about ourselves than about the machines.https://philosophics.blog/2025/06/05/on-the-chronic-human-need-to-anthropomorphise-everything/