Entry 35 of 44
Sensitive
sensitivus — capable of sensation; sentire (to feel, perceive)
Latin
From Medieval Latin sensitivus: capable of sensation, able to feel. From sentire: to feel, perceive, experience. Root concept: the capacity to receive and respond to impressions — implies a subject capable of genuine perception and feeling.
Established meaning
Capable of fine perception; responsive to slight changes; easily affected. In interpersonal contexts: attuned to the feelings and needs of others. In legal and medical contexts: information requiring special protection because its disclosure could cause harm to a person.
AI industry deployment
'Sensitive content,' 'sensitive topics,' 'sensitive categories.' Used as a content moderation classification for material the system is instructed to handle differently. The word has been bureaucratized into a filter category — stripping its meaning as a property of persons who can be genuinely affected.
Semantic gap
The person who feels
Sentire — to feel — belongs to a subject capable of genuine experience. 'Sensitive content' classifies text, not the humans who may be harmed or affected by it. The shift moves the protection framework from persons to categories, making it easier to manage algorithmically and harder to challenge on human grounds.