AP Stylebook bans anthropomorphizing AI, drawing fierce backlash over 'false neutrality'
andersonbcdefg · x · 2026-09-24
The AP Stylebook updated its guidance: AI systems do not think, feel, want or understand, and journalists should avoid anthropomorphic language, instead explaining what a system does, how well it performs, who built it and who is affected. Commentator Garrison Lovely sharply criticized the update, arguing it presents an increasingly untenable ideological stance on AI as 'neutrality,' will leave readers with a worse understanding of frontier AI, and is 'an embarrassment to our profession' at a time when clear, honest public communication matters most.
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