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July 8, 2026
5 min read
Opinion

Stop Calling It a Copilot. It's a Very Eager Intern.

The flying metaphor was always wrong. A better one explains why you still have to check its homework.

Every product is a "copilot" now, as if the software is calmly flying the plane beside you. Mine is not calm. It is enthusiastic, fast, and occasionally sure that the plane is a submarine.

An intern is the better metaphor. Smart, eager, reads the room poorly, needs review on anything that ships. You would never let an intern email a client solo, and you should not let the model either.

The metaphor matters because it sets expectations. "Copilot" implies trust and partnership. "Intern" implies supervision, which is the actual correct setting.

I have started telling teams to treat their AI like the best intern they ever had: delegate the draft, keep the decision.

Language shapes habit. Call it an intern and you will check its work. Call it a copilot and you might just close your eyes on takeoff.

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