This paper, written by Ben Grosser and Søren Bro Pold, critically examines ChatGPT through the lens of interface criticism. Their work demonstrates the need for new critical approaches attuned to how the language-based interfaces of generative AI manipulate users.
Through a form of ‘affective obfuscation’, conversational patterns like the praise/prompt envelope mask engagement mechanics behind emotional validation and the appearance of interest, making close study essential for revealing platform politics. Our methodological approaches—critical prompting, hyperaesthetic sensing, and artistic interventions that extend interface reduction and software recomposition—make such linguistic maneuvers visible.
Ben Grosser, Søren Bro Pold
