GoKawiilFast Company column argues AI should shed human-like framing
In its Plugged In newsletter, Fast Company argues that the tech industry's habit of anthropomorphizing artificial intelligence—giving it humanlike personas, voices, and emotional cues—misrepresents what these systems actually are. The piece suggests companies should instead present AI tools as explicitly mechanical rather than humanlike.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Framing AI as humanlike can shape public trust and expectations, potentially leading users to over-attribute understanding or intent to systems that are fundamentally statistical processes, the column suggests. Presenting AI as openly mechanical could, in the author's view, encourage more realistic expectations about its capabilities and limitations, though this remains a matter of industry design choice rather than technical necessity.
- The commentary critiques the tech industry's tendency to anthropomorphize AI products.
- It argues embracing AI's 'inhumanity' rather than humanlike traits could be more honest.
- The piece appears in Fast Company's Plugged In newsletter as opinion/analysis, not a product announcement.
Source: fastcompany.com, 2026-09-25
Published there as: “The case for embracing AI’s inhumanity”
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