AI, Idols, and the Living Word in C.S. Lewis's That Hideous Strength

We can easily confuse AI-generated words with Language even though ChatGPT humbly calls itself “a language model.”

Have you ever met Language herself? I bet you have. This is how C.S. Lewis described the descent of Mercury in That Hideous Strength:

“This was Language herself, as she first sprang at Maleldil’s bidding out of the molten quicksilver of the star called Mercury on Earth, but Viritrilbia in Deep Heaven.”

What is Language herself? Language is not mere words.…