The Rise of the Technomancer

How one clever word reclaimed the narrative around AI

Recently, a provocative tweet with 389 thousand likes stated bluntly, "we need a slur for people who constantly use AI and ChatGPT." Such remarks highlight an unfortunate impulse in our cultural moment: responding to innovation and enthusiasm with scorn, fear, or derision.

Mercer's brilliant response, a single word—"Technomancer"—effortlessly dismantles that negativity. Rather than accepting the framing, it elevates the user of technology into something mystical, empowered, and intriguingly positive.

"Technomancer" evokes the image of someone skilled in the art of technological enchantment. Instead of mockery, it suggests mastery. Rather than weakness or laziness, it implies skill, creativity, and imaginative power. It's the perfect retort precisely because it refuses to engage negativity on its own terms.

In broader terms, this exchange captures a deeper philosophical issue: the tension between reactionary hostility toward new technology and proactive embrace of human ingenuity. AI is just a tool—neither inherently good nor bad—but how we frame its use reflects our cultural attitudes toward progress itself.

We can let others set the terms, reducing complex discussions to crude labels, or we can do what Mercer did—reclaim the narrative and celebrate the human potential behind technological innovation.

In a single witty reply, Mercer has reminded us that how we talk about technology shapes how we think about it—and ourselves.