Metaphors of AI – and two to grow on

When humans develop new technologies, we come up with metaphors to make sense of what we’ve created. These metaphors compare new technologies to things that are more familiar. Over time, some of these metaphors gain popularity. Dominant metaphors are not monolithic, but they do significantly affect feelings, thoughts and actions; and they are the basis of our individual and shared conceptual systems. In an effort to spell out potential consequences, this article examines, in detail, common metaphors of AI (large language models and other kinds of image-generating, and audio-generating AI). Then it offers two more metaphors ‘to grow on’ – one for AI in the context of education, the other for those who own, wield and/or benefit from generative AI.