---
title: "It’s time to retire the term “user”"
url: https://daily.dev/posts/it-s-time-to-retire-the-term-user--tdlbxbdvd
source_url: https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/04/19/1090872/ai-users-people-terms/
type: article
source: "MIT Technology Review"
published: 2024-04-19T09:13:55.498Z
updated: 2025-09-06T02:34:26.181Z
tags: ["ai", "human-computer-interaction", "nlp", "tech-news", "ux"]
reading_time: 4
upvotes: 29
comments: 22
language: en
---

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# It’s time to retire the term “user”

**[MIT Technology Review](https://daily.dev/sources/technologyreview)** · 4 min read · 29 upvotes · 22 comments

## Summary

The post explores the history and implications of using the term 'user' in technology and suggests adopting more precise terms to describe the people and AI technology interacts with.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/04/19/1090872/ai-users-people-terms/>

## Community discussion

Top comments from developers on daily.dev.

**@pitops** · 19 upvotes

> So this is the new master -> main branch BS. Why are people so triggered with words? Literally anyone going to a website or an app and interacting with it, is USING it.

**@razrdev** · 14 upvotes

> Why? What is this rewriting of so much terminology? Is this generation hell-bent on just confusing everyone out of the industry or something? They're users because it doesn't matter if they're humans, bots, cats or dogs.
>
> All that matters is that its an entity that is using your software, and thus a user, which is a beautiful term that simplifies things greatly by boiling it down to the common essential aspect, but perhaps too simple for a generation obsessed with manufacturing confusion and complexity and changing things that work perfectly fine just for the sake of doing it and pretending...

**@noricode** · 9 upvotes

> We use "Target" or "cattle"

**@mutasimalmualimi** · 4 upvotes

> you are a racist, bots have feelings too. we are all "users"

**@rubenlozanome** · 4 upvotes

> I agree with the rest. I don't understand the idea of changing the naming. Why do we need to change the terminology?

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---

Tags: [#ai](https://daily.dev/tags/ai), [#human-computer-interaction](https://daily.dev/tags/human-computer-interaction), [#nlp](https://daily.dev/tags/nlp), [#tech-news](https://daily.dev/tags/tech-news), [#ux](https://daily.dev/tags/ux)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/it-s-time-to-retire-the-term-user--tdlbxbdvd)