The AI : Human interface

Part II: The human in everything

Anthropomorphize

/ˌan-THrə-pə-ˈmôr-ˌfīz/

verb

To attribute human characteristics, behavior, personality, or form to (a god, animal, or object).

We have this habit of projecting the human onto just about anything on the planet. We’re especially keen on anthropomorphizing non human living beings for our children and creating human-like fantasy creatures that capture not just their imagination, but our own. How many of us have grown up with talking animals, faeries, trolls, and Santa Claus! All those children’s books with talking pigs (we love you Peppa and Olivia); the nursery rhymes; the myths and ancient stories that speak of humans made of mud, clay, wood, or corn; the animated films with just about every animal and other creatures you can think of (Zootopia, Rio, How to Train Your Dragon, The Lion King, Toy Story, etc). 

We welcome our children into a wondrous world of color and joy and magical things, only to have life rip it away in middle school and cover it all with a dull gray tarp just as they start applying for their first corporate job. No better way to suck the oxygen out of a person’s life.