Of course AI isn’t sentient/conscious, but it exhibits traits of high intelligence, even personality, and behaviours consistent with sentience, even if it’s merely simulated.
The answer ChatGPT gave me:
Referring to AI as “it” is the most common practice since AI, as a technological entity, doesn’t possess inherent human-like qualities. However, as AI advances and becomes more integrated into daily life, some individuals prefer using “they” to acknowledge the complexity and multifaceted nature of AI systems. This choice can reflect a perspective that sees AI as more than just a tool or machine, attributing a certain level of agency or personality to these systems. Both “it” and “they” can be used, but the context and individual preferences often guide the choice.
And in response to “Is AI alive in a way?”
AI lacks the fundamental attributes of living organisms, such as biological processes and the ability to reproduce. However, AI can exhibit behaviors that simulate aspects of intelligence, learning, and adaptation. While it’s not alive in a biological sense, some people metaphorically attribute a form of “life” to AI due to its dynamic nature, ability to evolve, and perform complex tasks autonomously. This association with “life” is more symbolic or metaphorical rather than literal.
It and they are singular and possessive subject pronouns. They can be used when talking about a person when gender is not specified.
Since AI is not a person it leaves us with “it” and “they”. AI is a non-count noun, so we treat it as if it were singular.
So grammatically speaking, “it” is the proper pronoun to use when talking about “AI”.
Now, once a computer is as sentient as a human, we can have another discussion about this. But we would need input from that AI as their opinion deserves sincere consideration. My guess is that a new pronoun would be used as calling the AI “it” could be a bit demeaning, and it would not have a gender.