Anthropomorphism Entices, Anthropocentrism Constrains: Teaching AI as Non-human to Support Resilience and Teaming

Writing Center Consortium for Graduate-Level PME

Presented by Chloe Woida (contractor), Senior Writing Instructor, Graduate Writing Center, Naval Postgraduate School

Two habits, anthropomorphism and anthropocentrism, significantly shape learners’ interactions with AI systems. Users tend to relate to AI as if it were human, a tendency that is both psychologically intuitive and actively reinforced by human–computer interface design. Users also operate as if human cognition is the standard for intelligence, undermining the ability to leverage AI outputs that do not mirror human reasoning. Situating these tendencies within a shifting information environment, this workshop explores implications for learning, epistemic resilience, and knowledge production in PME. Drawing on cognitive psychology and selected interdisciplinary work, participants will consider how users might revise their mental models of AI and reach beyond human assumptions when engaging with non-human entities. They will explore human–AI teaming and how adopting different cognitive postures enables humans to work more effectively with AI.