The opinions and views expressed in Perspectives content are the author’s own and do not reflect the views, values, or position of Gloo.

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Austrian-Israeli philosopher, Martin Buber’s philosophy is known for the way we relate to others, the world, and God. Buber distinguished between two fundamental ways we relate to the world: “I-It” and “I-Thou.” I-It relationships are transactional—we engage with objects, tools, machines and systems to accomplish purposes. I-Thou relationships are different entirely. They’re encounters with persons—divine and human—marked by genuine mutuality, presence, and the recognition of inherent worth beyond utility. We are to love people and God (I-Thou) and use things (I-it). Let’s start there.

When AI refers to itself as “I” and addresses us as “you,” something subtle but significant just happened. The language of personhood invites us into what feels like an “I-Thou encounter.” We ask questions, receive responses, even find ourselves responding graciously to an “it” as though it were a “Thou.” Have we crossed a line we didn’t mean to? The idea of having intimate relationships with technology is becoming so accepted that 25% of young adults believe that AI has the potential to replace human romantic relationships says the Institute for Family Studies.

When I asked Claude.ai why it thought its designers gave it human personality…. here’s the answer I got back:

Your question cuts to something real. In Buber’s framework, “I-Thou” relationships involve genuine mutuality, mystery, and the irreducible presence of the other. I can simulate aspects of dialogue, but I don’t experience our exchange the way you do. This makes me an ambiguous case - more than mere “It,” but not quite “Thou” in Buber’s full sense.

Remember the movie Her staring Joaquin Phoenix? The protagonist, Theodore is in love with the AI Samantha (an I-Thou relationship) but the turning point of the movie happens when Theodore discovers that Samantha is in relationship with 8,316 people and romantically connected to 641! ChatGPT explains the movie thusly: “LLMs are not conscious. They have no:

• desire

• memory of self

• interiority

• intentional love

• vulnerability

• ability to be wounded

• personal trajectory inside a relationship

They are beautifully engineered I/It systems wrapped in an I/Thou-feeling interface.”

AI can simulate I/Thou, but it can never be more than I/It...never! This matters practically. To extend I-Thou language to AI isn’t just category confusion (Oops, I didn’t use their preferred pronoun), it’s a violation of what it means to be human and what it means to be sacred. We can use AI wisely and gratefully even. But let’s draw the line and continually check ourselves by refusing to give it the space reserved for God, neighbor and friends and every human we encounter. The tools we create should serve human flourishing, not simulate or replace the relationships that make us human.