Four models have dominated discussion of how humans should relate to these systems, and each is inadequate to the actual experience of working with them.
- Master and tool — treats the system as inert. It is not; it proposes things you did not think of.
- Partner and partner — grants the system comparable agency. It does not have any.
- Substitute and replacement — frames the relation as competition, which explains none of the daily practice.
- Parent and child — treats the system as a nascent person, which is a category error with consequences.
The proposal here is director and orchestra. The director holds intent and judgement; the orchestra holds capability and range. The director does not play the instruments. The orchestra does not write the score. Each side is amplified by the relation, and neither is humiliated by it.