From HAL
to Her: How culture shapes AI strategies and trust

In the pages ahead, we explore the cultural forces shaping AI perception, offer a practical framework for rewriting those narratives, and share key leadership considerations to ensure your AI strategies endure.

Let’s explore these spectrums to see how cultural narratives position AI along a sliding scale.

On perception
Am I being deceived?

(1) Deception
(2) Suspicion
(3) Imitation
(4) Truthfulness

( 1 ) Deception

At one extreme, AI is depicted as an entity designed to deceive, hiding their true nature. Today, this plays out both ways: AI mimics humans, and humans impersonate AI. An example is the 22-year-old who fooled millions into believing they were AI-generated.

( 2 ) Suspicion

Moving along the spectrum, some stories reflect a world steeped in suspicion. Even when deception isn’t confirmed, doubt lingers. AI models trained on the artist Artgerm’s style, for example, have blurred the line so completely that people now question whether his new work is truly his own.

( 3 ) Imitation

Further along the spectrum, imitation is blatant and undisguised. In Ex Machina, Ava’s transparent mechanical body is a constant reminder that she isn’t human—her artificiality is clear, even as she behaves with human-like intelligence.

( 4 ) Truthfulness

At the far end of the spectrum is complete truthfulness—AI presented openly as technology without any attempt to appear human. HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey is a classic example: emotionless, unapologetically artificial, and entirely transparent about its machine identity

On existence
Are we being replaced
 or enhanced?

( 1 ) Extinction

At one extreme, AI brings about humanity’s destruction. This is one of the most enduring and dramatic tropes in popular culture. In The Terminator, Skynet—an AI system designed to protect humanity—becomes self-aware, identifies humans as a threat, and launches a plan to eliminate them.

( 2 ) Irrelevancy

Moving along the spectrum, some narratives imagine a future where humans aren’t destroyed but rendered irrelevant. In Wall-E, people have become entirely dependent on robots handling every physical and mental task. Humanity survives, but as passive consumers with no purpose.

( 3 ) Transhumanism

Further along the spectrum, humans are augmented by robotics, marking the next step in human evolution. In iRobot, it’s revealed that Will Smith’s character has been physically enhanced with robotic features, blurring the line between human and machine.

( 4 ) Hyperhumanism

At the far end of the spectrum, Al's rise challenges us to unlock extraordinary, uniquely human abilities like advanced cognition and heightened empathy. In Dune, Al is banned, and society cultivates hyper-human skills to achieve a new kind of human power.

On power
Who’s really in charge?

( 1 ) Subjugation

At one extreme, AI becomes the master, and humanity becomes the servant. In The Matrix universe, machines rise to power, converting human bodies into energy sources and reducing humanity to a state of total enslavement.

( 2 ) Liberation

Moving along the spectrum, some narratives focus on the struggle for liberation. In Black Mirror’s Metalhead, humans are hunted by autonomous robotic dogs—machines that no longer serve, but dominate, forcing humanity into a fight for survival.

( 3 ) Freedom

Further along the spectrum, AI is seen as a tool to uphold human dignity, responsibility, and care. In Chobani’s Dear Alice commercial, AI helps people live more freely and ethically—nurturing the planet, their communities, and themselves.

( 4 ) Dominion

At the far end of the spectrum, narratives explore humanity’s dominance over AI, raising ethical questions. In Blade Runner, humans control replicants, but as they begin to seek freedom, the morality of that control comes into question.

In our work in the space, we’ve analyzed hundreds of logos and visual identities.

What we’ve seen is the emergence of a visual identity system that reflects how companies want their AI to be seen, felt, and trusted. This wasn’t a study in aesthetics, but an inquiry into how visual expressions shape meaning.

Using the principles of semiotics—the study of how signs and symbols create meaning—we wanted to help our team and clients make better decisions by understanding how visual cues trigger cultural narratives.

As we grouped similar design solutions, a framework emerged with four primary territories—each offering a unique lens through which AI is made visible and relatable.

Each territory helps transform fear into trust—reframing the themes of perception, existence, and power as sources of clarity, enrichment, and empowerment.

Perception → Create clarity

Existence → Improve life

Power → Preserve agency

Mechanization
AI as a tool

Perception AI’s role is explicit. It’s artificial, not a living being —clear, functional, and easily understood.

Existence It connects AI to human progress, focused on solving problems, streamlining tasks, and driving innovation.

Power Agency remains with the user. Like any machine, AI is fully under human control—familiar, safe, and predictable.

Magic
AI as wondrous, creative

Perception Eases fear of the unknown by making mystery part of its appeal. You don’t need to understand it to use it.

Existence AI becomes a source of delight, sparking creativity and offering moments of surprise and enjoyment.

Power It feels empowering, like wielding magical powers to shape outcomes and unlock new possibilities.

Biomimicry
AI as organic

Perception AI feels familiar and approachable, modeled on natural systems we instinctively understand.

Existence It enhances life by fostering connection to familiar, calm, life-affirming patterns that support well-being.

Power It supports harmony between people and technology, enabling progress without dominance or disruption.

Anthromorphism
AI as human-like

Perception AI borrows human traits, but makes clear it remains a machine, not a deceptive imitation.

Existence It mirrors human intelligence, promising better understanding and more personalized experiences.

Power Positions AI as a supportive partner, a co-pilot, reinforcing agency and collaboration rather than control.

These cues shape how people feel: curious or cautious, empowered or uneasy, ready or resistant.

AI’s story is still unfolding. Use this framework to lead with conviction and shape an experience people trust, understand, and value.

The four cultural territories aren’t just theoretical—they’re actively shaping how organizations present AI in the market and build trust with their customers.

The following real-world examples
 reveal how each territory manifests, across brands and products, not as decoration but as strategic signals influencing how people perceive AI, understand its purpose, and decide whether to trust it.

One territory
Signal a clear value proposition

Focus on a single territory to create instant clarity and recognizable meaning.

OpenAI’s mission to “build technology with safety as a priority” made mechanization the ideal territory—framing AI as a tool designed to make life easier while keeping humans in control.

To evoke a sense of safety and approachability, we leaned into tech nostalgia, drawing from past visions of the future to anchor OpenAI’s identity in something both familiar and optimistic.

In May of last year, OpenAI evolved its brand expression, shifting from a mechanical design language to a more natural one. By adopting the biomimicry territory, the technology aims to feel more approachable, enriching, and harmonious with humans

As OpenAI moves toward creating a multimodal AI companion, its trajectory now points to anthropomorphism —a territory that emphasizes empathy and human connection. This shift signals a move from designing AI that feels human to building AI that thinks like one—an ambition aligned with the pursuit of Artificial General Intelligence.

Two territories
Balance complexity through blended signals

Combine territories to reflect complex offerings or layered brand promises.

When we rebranded ElevenLabs—a startup focused on text-to-speech voice generation —we blended mechanization and anthropomorphism.

The goal was to emphasize the human-like quality of its output while making its artificial origins clear. We translated machinegenerated sound into a visual language of color and texture—evoking the richness and emotional depth of the human voice.

Several territories
Orchestrate multi-layered experiences

Use different territories across touch points to create nuanced, context-aware experiences.

Consider Apple’s latest iOS design language. Magic delights in Freeform, where a wand transforms rough sketches into polished illustrations.

Anthropomorphism gives Siri a conversational, human-like tone for direct assistance. Mechanization powers the writing tools with precision, while biomimicry softens the interface through organic, intuitive icons.

Or use none
Signal meaning in your
 own language

Step outside these territories, just don’t ignore the cultural themes.

You can innovate outside this framework, but as long as your AI is user-facing, you still need to engage the cultural narratives.

When people are interpreting what the technology is, what it means, and whether it can be trusted, those signals matter.

If your AI operates entirely in the background —it's not visible, not a differentiator, and not part of the user experience—then these themes don’t need to be actively addressed.

Choosing a symbolic territory like anthropomorphism may help humanize AI, but if applied carelessly, it can reinforce long-standing cultural biases.

Consider OpenAI’s use of Scarlett Johansson’s voice as inspiration for an AI assistant—a decision criticized for reinforcing outdated gender stereotypes that link femininity to subservience, intimacy, and inoffensiveness.

OpenAI has since removed the voice.

Leadership decisions like these don’t just shape user experiences—they reinforce social narratives.

Even with the best intentions, it’s possible to make choices that backfire and amplify anxiety rather than trust.

The ad campaign for the wearable device Friend sought to convey companionship, but instead highlighted isolation.

Similarly, Apple’s recent Intelligence ads promoted convenience but raised questions about whether the technology fosters personal growth or encourages passivity

A cultural narrative is empowering when it uplifts human potential, not when it replaces it.

While metaphors help people understand emerging technologies, they can also limit future possibilities.

The long-dominant "desktop" metaphor for personal computing made early adoption easier but eventually constrained users' thoughts about digital environments.

For example, folder structures mimicking physical filing cabinets limited new ways of organizing and interacting with information for decades.

A rigid attachment to a metaphor may limit both user experience and innovation. Keep evolving.

The internet was once imagined as a public good that would democratize knowledge and empower individuals. Instead, it became a force for social and environmental harm.

Technology isn’t a public good by default. It becomes one through intentional leadership, responsible governance, and a commitment to outcomes that benefit people and society.

As leaders, we have significant influence and responsibility. Will we create a more human future, enhancing freedoms and well-being on a sustainable planet, or continue towards centralized power, disinformation, and distraction?

The question isn’t just how will you position your AI, but what kind of future will it help create.