# Talking to Extraordinary Objects: Folktales Offer Analogies for Interacting with Technology

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.06372 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.06372/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
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- First posted on arXiv 10 Jan 2026.

## Abstract (arXiv)

Speech and language are valuable for interacting with technology. It would be ideal to be able to decouple their use from anthropomorphization, which has recently met an important moment of reckoning. In the world of folktales, language is everywhere and talking to extraordinary objects is not unusual. This overview presents examples of the analogies that folktales offer. Extraordinary objects in folktales are diverse and also memorable. Language capacity and intelligence are not always connected to humanness. Consideration of folktales can offer inspiration and insight for using speech and language for interacting with technology.