A tiny glowing keyboard may be a harbinger of a much bigger shift in how we interact with AI.
Articles on Anthropomorphism
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Maybe we love Neil because we’re jealous of his freedom
From the last thylacine to Mollie the drinking, smoking orangutan, little Punch the monkey is the latest in a long line of lonely zoo animals.
Attributing human characteristics to artificial intelligence is more harmful than beneficial.
On the internet, nobody knows you’re a chatbot.
As AI ‘companions’ permeate our most intimate spheres, we risk diminishing our own human essence by falsely attributing human qualities to them.
Intellectual property law wasn’t written with AI in mind, so it isn’t clear who owns the images that emerge from prompts – or if the artists whose work was scraped to train AI models should be paid.
A Steller’s sea eagle, native to the Asian Arctic, has traveled across North America since 2021. A scholar questions whether the bird is lost – and how well humans really understand animals’ actions.
Our tendency to view machines as people and become attached to them points to real risks of psychological entanglement with AI technology.
Contrary to the misinformation about them, furries are similar to other groups that use fandom as a way of building community.
From mythical Moth people, who kidnapped children, to threatening desert fairies in loincloths, early Australian fairy tales helped sanitise white settlement, expressing colonial fears.
Both the art of BoJack Horseman and of ancient Egyptian artists places great emphasis on balance and proportion.
With their prominent foreheads, low eye position and rounded body, koalas can seem almost baby-like. But is that enough to save them?
The ways in which humans connect with animals relate to how we interact with other humans. Understanding these relationships can help inform more inclusive societies.
Some scientists say attributing ‘human-like’ qualities to animals is misleading. Others say it’s a great tool for conservation. Either way, the Netflix hit My Octopus Teacher has a positive message.
Thinking of SARS-CoV-2 as an invisible enemy with an evil personality and humanlike motivations is a natural offshoot of the way people evolved to anthropomorphize so as not to overlook threats.
Rather than prioritizing human beings at the pinnacle of the animal kingdom, Leonardo revered all living beings. When he compared people and animals, it’s the animals that often came out on top.
Philip Pullman can help us understand what smartphones are doing to people – here’s how.
Intentional actions by usually solitary octopuses improve a sandy site, allowing group living in ‘Octlantis’. But the buzz around the site grew quickly, creating some interesting interpretations.
Killers, cartoons, and even romantic objects, the cactus’s ongoing popularity has led it down some strange paths.
Top contributors
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Professor in environmental psychology, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne
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Professor of Anthropology, UCL
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Professor of Wildlife Conservation, University of Salford
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Senior Lecturer in the School of Design, RMIT University
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Lecturer, Media, University of Tasmania
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Professor of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Sydney
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PhD Researcher in marine and behavioural ecology, University of Wollongong
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Associate Professor in Archaeology and Space Studies, Flinders University
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Associate Professor, Social Development Studies, University of Waterloo
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Managing Director (Remember The Wild). PhD Student, The University of Melbourne
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Anthropologue, Laboratoire d'anthropologie sociale, Collège de France
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Emma MacLachlan Metcalf Chair of Humanities, Boston University; University of Cambridge
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Lecturer on Law, Harvard University
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Adjunct Professor, Southern Cross University
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Professor of Psychology, The University of Melbourne