De-anthropomorphizing artificial intelligence: The human-machine continuum in the post-artificial era

Abstract

Contemporary discussions of artificial intelligence (AI) in design disciplines tend to evaluate machine creativity in relation to human cognition, leaving AI’s non-anthropomorphic character under-theorized. The present work uses the filmic narrative of Annihilation (2018) to challenge the persistent dismissal of AI’s creative capabilities. Such skepticism often hinges on the problematic assumption that human traits—such as inspiration, intuition, consciousness, spontaneity, will, or emotion—are pre-requisites for creativity. This line of argumentation relies on an anthropomorphic approach that is unable to imagine or accept non-human modes of perception, cognition, and agency. Instead, the study first proposes adopting an apophatic approach, through which AI is defined not by the projection of human qualities but rather via negation, emphasizing what lies beyond human understanding. It then advocates for “alien phenomenology” as a method for accepting the non-human cognitive capabilities of AI. Accepting AI as an “alien intelligence” shifts the role of the artist toward critique and curation, underscoring the artistic talent in recognizing unexplored, alien forms of beauty.

Keywords

Artificial intelligence / Post-artificial / Annihilation / Creativity / Alien intelligences / Alien phenomenology / Gray authorship / Human-machine continuum

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