Rich Hickey: "AI" is not a tool

Rich Hickey argues that LLMs are not tools because a tool is something you wield with control, sensory feedback, intention and continuous direction, which builds expertise, whereas LLMs are automation that acts on its own without your energy or direction. He contends that using an LLM to read and summarize papers means it reads them, not you, so you miss learning to write, formulate arguments, notice things and think. He warns that automation has intrinsic properties distinct from tools that you ignore at your peril.