  Many believe that Large Language Models (LLMs) open the era of Artificial
Intelligence (AI). Some see opportunities while others see dangers. Yet both
proponents and opponents grasp AI through the imagery popularised by science
fiction. Will the machine become sentient and rebel against its creators? Will
we experience a paperclip apocalypse? Before answering such questions, we
should first ask whether this mental imagery provides a good description of the
phenomenon at hand. Understanding weather patterns through the moods of the
gods only goes so far. The present paper instead advocates understanding LLMs
and their connection to AI through the imagery of Jorge Luis Borges, a master
of 20th century literature, forerunner of magical realism, and precursor to
postmodern literature. This exercise leads to a new perspective that
illuminates the relation between language modelling and artificial
intelligence.
