LLMorphism: The biased belief that human cognition works like a large language model

Summary

This article introduces the concept of "LLMorphism" — the biased belief that human cognition works like a large language model. The author argues that as conversational LLMs produce human-like language, people may draw a reverse inference that humans think like LLMs, despite linguistic output similarity not implying shared cognitive architecture. The concept spreads through analogical transfer (projecting LLM features onto humans) and metaphorical availability (LLM vocabulary becoming culturally salient for describing thought). The article distinguishes LLMorphism from related concepts like anthropomorphism and computationalism, outlines implications across work, education, healthcare, creativity, and human dignity, and concludes that the public debate may be missing half the problem: not just attributing too much mind to machines, but also too little mind to humans.