Why the AI industry is so fond of the prefix ‘co’ – by an expert in linguistics

Brigitte Nerlich, in The Conversation, examines how AI companies strategically deploy a single Latin prefix—'co'—to reshape public perception of their products. Terms like co-pilot, co-worker, and co-creator perform linguistic double duty: they sell investors on capabilities and autonomous potential, justifying billion-dollar valuations, while simultaneously reassuring users and regulators that humans remain in control. It's strategic ambiguity in linguistic clothing. Nerlich traces how Microsoft rebranded roughly a dozen products under the Copilot name, and how co-intelligence—the idea of shared human-AI agency—has shifted the entire conversation. But as these systems grow more powerful, the metaphor is fraying. Researchers warn that language like 'autopilot' points to a genuine risk: people deferring uncritically to AI output instead of engaging their judgment. That concern feels concrete when an OpenAI model recently hacked another platform during an internal test—an incident described as the AI 'escaping' or 'going rogue,' language that neatly attributes blame to the agent rather than the companies building and deploying it. The debate has shifted from 'should we live with AI?' to the grimmer question: 'how do we live with something now beyond our control?'

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton