Talking to parrots, or how to make sense of AI

In a widely cited paper that anticipated the hype around generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT were described as “stochastic parrots” that create only the impression of linguistic competence. Yet these systems are now treated as communicative and even social partners in both professional and personal contexts - as evidenced, for instance, in users’ application of LLMs to discuss intimate concerns and mental health issues. Historicizing the metaphor of the parrot, the lecture turns to a case that at first glance seems far removed from AI: Alex, a grey parrot whose communicative behavior was studied by biologist Irene Pepperberg between 1976 and 2007. By revisiting these attempts to establish human-animal communication, the talk proposes a framework for reflecting and making sense of a present in which humans engage in exchanges with machines that are, at the same time, able and not really able to talk back.

All are welcome to attend our free event.

Contact the host of 2026 George Watson Public Lecture - Professor Simone Natale

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