Using language like "thinking" doesn't bother me. I'm not a stickler for precision language in colloquial speech. I do think it's important to deflate the hype

Using language like "thinking" doesn't bother me. I'm not a stickler for precision language in colloquial speech. I do think it's important to deflate the hype and give context to what you mean by "thinking" in products, technologies and so on. Calling it a "stochastic parrot" is a bit pithy but not unreasonable. Plus it's memorable.