Abstract
Literary theorists have long examined the role between writing and technology, in part due to technology's reliance on metaphor. Metaphor is central to the ways new technologies are marketed to and understood by users; metaphor also determines the sorts of critiques of those technologies scholars might make. This article looks at the particular relationship between metaphor and LLMs. Specifically, it examines the metaphor of the black box, which is often used to metaphorize their opaque inner workings. Exploring the multiple definitions of the black box metaphor reveals how its use in regard to LLMs reproduces the power imbalances inherent in opaque systems. By considering the many meanings of the black box together, we may see how the term maintains false binaries of transparency and opacity. As one example, this article argues that refiguring the (algorithmic) black box as a black box theater repositions LLMs as a reflexively performative space. Literary critique of this interdisciplinary kind deepens the understanding of LLMs and their ethical implications.
