Overview
For September, the Book of the Month is Promptism by Sune Selsbæk-Reitz. It was a joy to dive into a philosopher’s take on what AI is, how it changes how we think, and how we need to work with it. Before we get into the book itself, let’s take a look at Selsbæk-Reitz’s definition of “Promptism.”
“The Uncritical belief that a well-phrased question to an AI will yield a reliable, objective answer; the habit of treating machine-generated responses as truth without examining their source, context, or intention. Often rooted in a misplaced trust in data neutrality and algorithmic authority. The quiet collapse of interpretation into convenience.”
This book is highly academic. It is split into three parts that flow wonderfully together – starting with what Selsbæk-Reitz calls The Fluency Trap, which refers to how AI feels trustworthy but really has no reason to be so. He then gets into Thinking in the Age of Simulation, which talks about how these systems reason. Finally, the book finishes with Toward a New Literacy, which really hammers home how people can responsibly interact with generative AI (GenAI) tools to derive value.
Build your AI governance skills in 2026.
DATAVERSITY’s training programs cover AI governance, data governance, and compliance for data practitioners.
The first part of the book hones in on the epistemic nature of what we consume as humanity. Selsbæk-Reitz’s argument is that GenAI has no real grounding or reason behind its result, but it makes the case for trustworthiness because of the perfection of its answer. GenAI produces something that sounds confident, is grammatically perfect, and is fluent in the topic it generates content for. This allows a human interlocutor to project competency on the result.
In the second part of the book, Selsbæk-Reitz explains the overall effects using GenAI has on how we think. This is where the philosophic nature of the book really shines, with overall feeling for “What does this all mean?” and “How am I changing as a result?” being key questions that challenge the reader.
Lastly, Selsbæk-Reitz finishes with a dive into how we should consider what would be a healthy interaction with GenAI tools. To quote Selsbæk-Reitz:
“Interpretation is a civic skill. This is why Part III of this book is neither about tools nor techniques. Rather it’s about rebuilding a form of literacy that recognizes language as an environment rather than a message.”
Ultimately, Selsbæk-Reitz gives the reader a fair bit to think about and some academic grounding that is fascinating, timely, and sure to give the reader a series of beautiful epiphanies. It’s a nice change to dive into a book that doesn’t tell the reader how to be or what to do, but insteadgives the reader background knowledge, thinking points, and moments of self-reflection in an era where we’re so willing to outsource reason to the unreasonable machine. I recommend this book to everyone who is willing to enjoy a philosophical jaunt into the nature of thinking in the age of machines.
About Author Sune Selsbæk-Reitz
Sune Selsbæk-Reitz is a Danish data and AI strategist, writer, and technology philosopher. He holds a master’s degree in history with a minor in philosophy, and has spent the past decade working in the data and artificial intelligence space. His work explores the ethical and cultural consequences of AI, with a particular focus on responsibility, critical thinking, and the design of trustworthy systems. He is the creator of the Deontological Design framework and writes the Substack “Footnotes and Friction,” where he reflects on AI, philosophy, and the changing nature of knowledge in the age of fluent machines.
