anthropomorphism
/ˌænθrəpəˈmɔːrfɪzəm/
Definition
The act of uncritically attributing human cognitive traits, intentions, or mind-like qualities to artificial systems, such as large language models, based on a metaphorical projection.
Etymology
Derived from the Greek words 'anthropos' (human) and 'morphe' (form), combined with the suffix '-ism'. It entered English in the mid-18th century to describe the attribution of human characteristics to non-human beings, gods, or objects.
In the news
In the article, anthropomorphism describes the recursive, often misleading tendency of researchers and users to treat LLMs as human-like minds. The authors argue this cognitive projection creates a blur between the model's actual machine-based internal logic and our own human perceptions.
Understanding large language models demands distinguishing human projection from machine cognition
Read the full article ↗Nature