How we talk (to students) when we talk about AI

In educational settings, whether we are instructors or trainers, we reach for analogies to explain the unfamiliar so the use of metaphoric language in the classroom is common. Therefore, when we present new technologies, such as generative AI (GenAI) tools, to learners, we use metaphors; how conscious are we of the underlying preconceptions in such analogies? When the technology with which we engage is so novel, the metaphors we use have wider repercussions since the language through which we conceptualize GenAI tools betrays our views and shapes our student attitudes. Specifically, as soon as educators began using GenAI tools, like ChatGPT, in late 2022, we had to make decisions as to whether we would present such tools in anthropomorphic terms or not. Are GenAI tools, a “collaborator”, an “intern”, an “assistant”, a “cybernetic teammate”? Or are they a “stochastic parrot”, a “calculator for words”, or “digital plastic” ? Thus, a more conscious use of metaphoric language when discussing AI in class contributes not only to student understanding but also the development of learners’ critical AI literacy.

Through a selective literature review this 15-min presentation will analyze the most common metaphors and analogies used to discuss Generative AI (GenAI), aiming at alerting educators of the impact of the use of metaphoric language through which we conceptualize AI as a tool or as a living being with or without anthropomorphic traits. Through the participation in a Padlet the audience can present their own views and practices through polling and submission of individual comments. By attending this presentation instructors and librarians will become more aware of how the language we use in class may unknowingly reproduce the pre- or mis-conceptions we each carry when we discuss new technologies.