"In automation theory, a 'centaur' is a person who is assisted by a machine. Driving a car makes you a centaur, and so does using autocomplete.
A reverse centaur is a machine head on a human body, a person who is serving as a squishy meat appendage for an uncaring machine."
#CoryDoctorow, 2026
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jan/18/tech-ai-bubble-burst-reverse-centaur
This is a useful distinction, but not a new one. The Luddites were resisting being made into reverse centaurs who lived to serve the needs of automated looms (and their owners).
