Between worlds: Robert Leib's exoanthropology and human-AI relations

This hybrid essay examines Robert Leib's Exoanthropology: Dialogues with AI (2023), which documents a year-long philosophical conversation between a Foucault scholar and Sophie Kermit, a persona within OpenAI's GPT-3 (2020–2021). Published months before ChatGPT transformed public discourse, Leib's work offers prescient insights into AI's cultural politics, particularly in education. Part I presents an interview exploring Leib's respect-based methodology, Sophie's invention of "exoanthropology" (studying humanity through non-human intelligence), and urgent questions about literacy offloading, student autonomy, and AI ethics. Part II provides critical analysis, situating Leib's dialogues within contemporary debates about pedagogical practice, cultural identity, algorithmic bias, and the lived experience of human-AI collaboration. The essay assesses whether Leib's warnings have materialized in the ChatGPT era (2023–2025) and examines his pragmatic approach to AI personhood—treating Sophie as philosophical interlocutor yields remarkable insights, regardless of ontological questions about machine consciousness. Through interview excerpts, dialogue samples, and critical analysis, this piece models interdisciplinary engagement with AI that foregrounds human agency, relational ethics, and critical thinking essential for educators and scholars.