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A i icial In elligence and C ea i i y: An h opological,
Sociological and Pedagogical Re lec ions
Anna Si i Pegaso Telema ic Uni e si y, Naples, I aly – e-mail: anna.si [email protected]
Gianluca Olcese Uni e si y o W oclaw, W oclaw, Poland – e-mail:
gianluca.olcese@uw .edu.pl
Diana Spulbe DISFOR – Depa men o Educa ion Sciences – Uni e si y o Genoa, I aly
– e-mail: diana.spulbe @unige.i
Doi: 10.2478/gss j-2024-0001
Abs ac
A i icial In elligence (AI) is ed awing he bounda ies o human c ea i i y, challenging ou
adi ional no ions o a and exp ession while aising impo an sociological and
an h opological ques ions. This a icle explo es he complex ela ionship be ween human
c ea i i y and AI and how hese new echnologies a e ede ining he bounda ies o a and
c ea i e exp ession. S a ing om an e olu iona y analysis o he concep o c ea i i y, he a icle
explo es he impac o AI on c ea i e p ocesses and he pe cep ion o a . I shows how AI
con ibu es o a "loss o au a" in a and changes he ela ionship be ween humans and he
c ea i e p ocess. Finally, he a icle emphasises he impo ance o a c i ical and e lexi e
app oach in analysing hese phenomena and highligh s he need o aining in new echnologies
o cope wi h he complexi y o hese changes. This in e disciplina y s udy p o ides aluable ools
o unde s and how AI is ede ining no only he c ea i e p ocess bu also ou no ions o a ,
au hen ici y and human exp ession in he digi al age.
Key wo ds: A i icial In elligence; C ea i i y; A ; Sociology; An h opology
1. In oduc ion
The ad en o A i icial In elligence (AI) has ushe ed in a new e a o c ea i e
possibili ies while aising impo an sociological and an h opological ques ions. We
a e now con on ed wi h a widesp ead my hopoe ic na a i e. Ma ga e Boden
(2004), an in e na ionally ecognised expe in he ield o cogni i e science, a gues
ha his is no longe he exclusi e p ese e o humans and challenges us o e hink
he na u e o he c ea i e ac . This ede ini ion o he bounda ies o c ea i i y has
mean ha AI echnologies ha e become an in eg al pa o ou cul u al ab ic and
a e p o oundly in luencing how we p oduce and consume a .
Bo n & Hawo h (2018) p o ide a conc e e example o his in luence, ha show
how music gen es such as apo wa e ha e eme ged p ecisely h ough he
in e ac ion be ween human c ea i i y and algo i hms. This phenomenon illus a es
he me ging o humans and machines in he c ea i e p ocess and is also an example
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o wha B uno La ou (2005) desc ibes as a ne wo k o human and non-human
ac o s ha con ibu e o shape social eali y.
Howe e , in eg a ing AI in o he c ea i e p ocess is no wi hou challenges. Na ale
and Balla o e (2020) emphasised how cul u al my hs su ounding AI in luence
public pe cep ions o hese echnologies, which o en oscilla e be ween u opian and
dys opian isions. This ambi alen a i ude is ine i ably e lec ed in how a is s and
c ea i es engage wi h AI ools. This c ea es a ension be ween he exci emen o
new possibili ies and he ea o losing human au hen ici y.
To be e unde s and his dynamic, Sea e (2017) sugges ed examining algo i hms
wi h a socio-an h opological lens as cul u al a e ac s and emphasised he
impo ance o unde s anding he social con ex in which hey a e de eloped and
used. This app oach allows us o look a AI no as a neu al echnology bu as a
cul u al p oduc ain ed wi h alues and biases simul aneously, o e ing a deepe
insigh in o i s impac on c ea i i y.
Indeed, he impac o AI goes beyond me e a is ic p oduc ion, om whose au a
we a e mo ing away in in e se p opo ion o he in eg a ion o humans wi h mo e
ad anced echnological ools in he wo ds o Wal e Benjamin (2022): ‘We de ine
[au a] as a unique mani es a ion o a emo eness, howe e close i may be.’ Wo ds,
oo, can ha e an au a o hei own (Benjamin, 1973). This is how Ka l K aus
desc ibed i : ‘The close he look one akes a a wo d, he g ea e he dis ance om
which i looks back’ (Ka l K aus, 1912). Human pe cep ion is a he cen e o he
philosophe 's conside a ions: ‘The manne in which human sense pe cep ion is
o ganized, he medium in which i occu s, is dic a ed no only na u ally bu also
his o ically’ (Benjamin, 2022). As Tu kle (2011) a gues, digi al echnologies a e
ede ining he way we in e ac and exp ess ou sel es, aising undamen al ques ions
abou he na u e o au hen ici y and o iginali y in he digi al age. These ques ions
a e a he cen e o he deba e on AI-enabled c ea i i y and challenge ou adi ional
unde s anding o a and human exp ession.
In his con ex , Donna Ha away's Cybo g Mani es o (1991) o e s aluable aid o
in e p e a ion. The idea o he cybo g as a me apho o ou ela ionship wi h
echnology applies pe ec ly o he a is , who uses AI o ex end he c ea i e abili ies,
sugges ing a new o m o c ea i e symbiosis be ween man and machine.
To decode he cul u al meanings embedded in hese new o ms o exp ession, we
can e e o he app oach o Cli o d Gee z (1973), who augh us o ead cul u e
as ex . By applying his me hodology o AI-gene a ed ou pu s, we can begin o
un a el he laye s o meaning and cul u al implica ions o hese hyb id c ea ions.
Boells o 's (2008) wo k on i ual wo lds also eminds us ha digi al eali ies,
including hose c ea ed by AI, a e cul u al spaces in hei own igh , wo hy o
e hnog aphic in es iga ion. This pe spec i e in i es us o conside AI c ea ions as
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p oduc s and cul u al en i onmen s in which new o ms o in e ac ion and meaning
eme ge.
The impac o AI on c ea i i y is, he e o e, a complex phenomenon ha equi es
in e disciplina y analysis. Sociological and an h opological pe spec i es o e
aluable ools o unde s and how hese echnologies a e ede ining he c ea i e
p ocess and ou no ions o a , au hen ici y and human exp ession. As we mo e
owa ds a u u e in which he line o pe cep ion be ween he no ion o human and
a i icial c ea i i y becomes inc easingly blu ed, hese conside a ions will be c ucial
in add essing he e hical, cul u al and philosophical challenges ahead, pa ing he way
o new o ms o a is ic unde s anding and c ea ion in he age o a i icial
in elligence.
2. The concep o c ea i i y and i s e olu ion
C ea i i y is a concep ha has ascina ed schola s and esea che s o decades and
has e ol ed conside ably o e ime. The i s o mal de ini ions eme ged in he mid-
20 h cen u y when Guil o d (1950), publishing his 1949 speech o he Ame ican
Psychological Associa ion, desc ibed c ea i i y as a di e gen hough p ocess
cha ac e ised by luidi y, lexibili y, o iginali y and elabo a ion. This iew was la e
expanded by Paul To ance (1966), who unde s ood c ea i i y as he p ocess o
pe cei ing gaps, o mula ing ideas o hypo heses, es ing hem and communica ing
he esul s.
The concep s o humanis ic au ho s such as Ca l Roge s, Ab aham Maslow and
Rollo May has domina ed he mos concep ual discussions o c ea i i y, who saw i s
alue in i s pe cei ed posi i e e ec s on pe sonal g ow h, sel -ac ualiza ion and
simila aspec s o indi idual well-being. Acco ding o Roge s (1954), ‘ he c ea i e
p ocess is ha i is he eme gence in ac ion o a no el ela ional p oduc , g owing
ou o he uniqueness o he indi idual on he one hand, and he ma e ials, e en s,
people, o ci cums ances o his li e on he o he .’
Roge s p esen s c ea i i y as a undamen al human cha ac e is ic and cla i ies wha
is equi ed o c ea i i y o be socially aluable and no me ely ins umen al o p o i
o ien a ed.
“The mainsp ing o c ea i i y appea s o be [...] man's endency o ac ualize himsel ,
o become his po en iali ies. By his I mean he di ec ional end which is e iden in
all o ganic and human li e - he u ge o expand, ex end, de elop, ma u e - he
endency o exp ess and ac i a e all he capaci ies o he o ganism, o he ex en ha
such ac i a ion enhances he o ganism o he sel .”
C ea i i y is abou un olding and de eloping, no jus p oblem sol ing and
imp essing. This kind o openness h ough educa ion and aining, bu we a e only
likely o do so when we deeply app ecia e i s impo ance. Mo eo e , acco ding o
Roge s, ‘(c ea i i y) exis s in e e y indi idual, and awai s only he p ope condi ions
o be eleased and exp essed. I is his endency, which is he p ima y mo i a ion o
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c ea i i y, as he o ganism o ms new ela ionships o he en i onmen in i s
endea ou mos ully o be i sel .’
The ‘4 P's’ concep ual model o c ea i i y p oposed by Rhodes (1961) seems an
app op ia e amewo k o e lec ing on he en i e y o he concep o c ea i i y.
“The model aims o explain wha i means o be c ea i e by looking a ou
componen s: Pe son (pe ains o a human being's pe sonali y, in ellec , habi s,
a i udes, and o he ac o s ha a ec a pe son’s c ea i i y); P ocess (pe ains o he
p ocess o c ea ing ideas and a i ac s, e.g., hinking, mo i a ion, lea ning, e c.); P ess
( e e s o he human being’s en i onmen which can in luence he pe son and he
men al p ocesses); P oduc (pe ains o “a i ac s o hough ” – ideas ha ha e been
communica ed o o he people in obse able o m, e.g., as a poem, pain ing, o
sculp u e)”.
Mednick (1962) de ined c ea i i y as ‘[…] he o ming o associa i e elemen s in o
new combina ions which ei he mee speci ied equi emen s o a e in some way
use ul. The mo e mu ually emo e he elemen s o he new combina ion, he mo e
c ea i e he p ocess o solu ion.’ Acco ding o B une (1962), i ‘[…] is an ac ha
p oduces e ec i e su p ise’.
C ea i i y, unde s ood as he abili y o p oduce some hing new o o in e p e wha
has al eady been lea n in a new and o iginal way, is ound a di e en le els in e e y
human being and can be ealised h ough educa ion (S e nbe g & Williams, 1995).
In he 1980s, Amabile p oposed a componen -based model o c ea i i y ha
encompasses in insic mo i a ion, domain- ele an skills and ele an c ea i e
p ocesses. This mul idimensional app oach pa ed he way o a mo e complex
unde s anding o he c ea i e phenomenon (Amabile, 1996).
Csikszen mihalyi (1996) in oduced a ‘sys ems model’, a sociocul u al model o
c ea i i y ha s a es ‘social con i ma ion is necessa y o some hing o be called
c ea i e’ because ‘c ea i i y does no happen inside people's heads, bu in he
in e ac ion be ween a pe son's hough s and a sociocul u al con ex ’. Acco ding o
his iew, c ea i i y a ises om he in e ac ion be ween he indi idual ha ing an idea
o c ea ing an a i ac , he domain o knowledge (embedded in he b oade con ex
o cul u e), and he ield consis ing o indi iduals assessing he c ea i i y o he idea
o a i ac be o e i en e s he domain o knowledge (judges and ins i u ions). This
iew shi s he ocus om he indi idual o he social and cul u al con ex in which
c ea i i y mani es s i sel .
A he u n o he cen u y, S e nbe g & Luba (1999) p oposed he in es men
heo y o c ea i i y, which s a es ha c ea i e people 'buy low and sell high' in he
ield o ideas, emphasising he s a egic and con ex ual aspec , he capi alis
in e p e a ion o c ea i i y.
Schola s ha e a emp ed o syn hesise and e ine hese di e en pe spec i es in he
new millennium. Runco & Jaege (2012) o mula ed he wo-pa 's anda d
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de ini ion' o c ea i i y, s a ing ha o be conside ed c ea i e an a i ac needs o be
bo h no el (unique, o iginal) and e ec i e ( aluable, use ul).
In pa allel, Kau man & Beghe o (2009) in oduced he 'Fou -C' model o c ea i i y,
which dis inguishes be ween Mini-C (pe sonal c ea i i y), Li le-C (e e yday
c ea i i y), P o-C (expe c ea i i y) and Big-C (ou s anding/genius c ea i i y). This
ca ego isa ion p oposes a model o a mo e di e en ia ed unde s anding o
c ea i i y's a ious le els and mani es a ions.
In ecen yea s, as al eady men ioned, he discussion has once again ocussed on he
impo ance o p oduc s. This includes wo ks o a o all kinds ( isual a s, li e a u e,
dance, hea e, music) and machines, s uc u es, me hods and p ocesses in ields
such as enginee ing, manu ac u ing, ma ke ing, inance, heal h, ag icul u e and
de ence. This in e es has been uelled by he widely pe cei ed ole o c ea i i y in
p omo ing heal h and well-being, social jus ice, economic p og ess, social s abili y,
peace and secu i y. This way o looking a c ea i e p oduc s is known as ' unc ional
c ea i i y' and con as s wi h he ea lie emphasis on aes he ic c ea i i y.
The socio-cul u al aspec o c ea i i y gained u he impo ance wi h he wo k o
Glă eanu (2013), who emphasised he ole o ac ion, in e ac ion and cul u al
sys ems in c ea i e p oduc ion. This pe spec i e emphasised he impo ance o
conside ing c ea i i y as an indi idual phenomenon and a p ocess deeply oo ed in
he social and cul u al con ex .
Mo e ecen ly, Co azza (2016) in oduced he concep o 'c ea i e po en ial' and
sugges ed ha c ea i i y should be iewed as a de eloping cons uc a he han a
inished p oduc . He eminded us ha we only pe cei e wha we pe cei e as
po en ial when we s udy he pas , i.e. some hing only has powe when ha powe is
ac ually ealised la e . This dynamic iew o c ea i i y has opened up new a enues
o esea ch by ocussing on he c ea i e p ocess and no jus he ou come.
Finally, Glă eanu & Lebuda (2019) examined c ea i i y as a dis ibu ed and si ua ed
phenomenon, emphasising he ole o con ex and social in e ac ions in c ea ing and
de eloping c ea i i y. The e m 'c ea i i y' is used by he au ho s in h ee ways: I
e e s o a se o p ocesses (e.g., 'c ea i e' hinking), o he pe sonal cha ac e is ics
o a g oup o people (e.g., 'c ea i e' pe sonali y), and o ou comes (e.g., a 'c ea i e'
p oduc ). In his way, c ea i i y is ea ed bo h as a cause (e.g. c ea i e p ocesses
gene a e p oduc s; people's c ea i i y causes hem o beha e in a ce ain way) and as
an e ec o ou come (a ce ain ype o p oduc esul ing om he pe son and he
p ocess). This is he 'classic' 3Ps app oach (pe son, p ocess and p oduc ), which was
soon expanded o include a ou h P - 'p essu e' (i.e. p essu es om he en i onmen
ha can encou age o block c ea i i y).
The G eek wo d poiein, Agamben (2019) eminds us, e e s o c ea ion in he simple
sense o 'p oducing':
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’And jus like he poe and he pain e , so also he ca pen e , he shoemake , he
lu e playe , and inally e e y human being a e no he anscenden i le-holde s o
a capaci y o ac o p oduce wo ks: hey a e a he li ing beings who, in he use and
only in he use o hei membe s and o he wo ld ha su ounds hem, gain
expe ience o hemsel es and cons i u e hemsel es as o ms o li e. A is only he
way in which he anonymous ones we call a is s, by main aining hemsel es
cons an ly in ela ion wi h a p ac ice, seek o cons i u e hei li e as a o m o li e:
he li e o he pain e , o he ca pen e , o he a chi ec , o he con abassis , in
which, as in e e y o m-o -li e, wha is in ques ion is no hing less han hei
happiness.’
This e olu ion o de ini ions e lec s a shi om an indi idual-cen ed iew o a
b oade and mo e complex unde s anding o c ea i i y ha includes social, cul u al
and con ex ual ac o s. Con empo a y esea ch ends o iew c ea i i y as a
mul idimensional, dynamic and socially embedded phenomenon, opening up new
pe spec i es o i s unde s anding and cul i a ion in di e en a eas o socie y.
3. C ea i i y and A i icial In elligence: a con o e sial and e ol ing
ela ionship
In p e-indus ial socie ies, c ea i i y was o en linked o i uals, my hs and social
unc ions, wi h he o al ansmission o knowledge and he isual a s being he main
means o human exp ession. Wi h he ad en o mode ni y, howe e , he e was a
p ocess o a ionalisa ion and secula isa ion, which Max Webe (1919) desc ibed as
he 'disenchan men o he wo ld'. In his con ex , magical and animis ic
explana ions o eali y we e eplaced by a ional and scien i ic explana ions, and
socie y's eligious and spi i ual aspec s ga e way o a a ional wo k e hic cen ed on
he pu sui o p o i .
AI, wi h i s abili y o c ea e w i en, isual and musical o ms and o ep oduce a ,
can be seen as a u he s ep owa ds his disenchan ed wo ld. C ea i i y once
conside ed a human mys e y and a space o in e p e ing he wo ld, is in dange o
becoming a a ionalised and au oma ed p ocess.
Pie Paolo Pasolini, known o his c i icism o consume socie y, o e s an
in e es ing pe spec i e on his opic. He de ined ad e ising as an abe an o m o
exp essi eness because i uses language's powe o pu ely comme cial pu poses
(Pasolini, 1975). Pasolini poin ed ou how he new ools o ad e ising app op ia ed
adi ional alues and e- unc ionalised hem o c ea e a echnological o m o
exp ession, as opposed o he powe o exp ession unde s ood as an in ima e human
need h ough which new ideologies can eme ge.
In his sense, AI c ea ions could con inue his end, whe e a isks becoming a
p oduc o be consumed a he han a ans o ma i e expe ience. This de elopmen
i s in o he con ex o he 'liquid mode ni y' heo ised by Zygmun Bauman, which
is cha ac e ised by cons an change and he unce ain y o social and cul u al
s uc u es (Bauman, 2000). In his amewo k, AI c ea ions no only con inue he
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p ocess o comme cialisa ion o a , as highligh ed by Pasolini, bu also con ibu e
o he luidi y and ins abili y ypical o liquid mode ni y, in which e en cul u al and
a is ic alues a e subjec o cons an ede ini ion and consume o ien a ion.
AI-media ed c ea ion i s in o a socie y ha is al eady ex emely dependen on
echnology in all a eas o daily li e. I is cha ac e ised by apid dissemina ion, open
access o in o ma ion and he abili y o each a global audience. Gene a i e AI
p omises a usion o a is ic sensibili y and echnology, c ea ing new o ms o
exp ession whose pa adigm is al eady ma ked by he media socie y a ac ed by a
bulimia o images and in o ma ion.
A a ime o apid echnological ad ancemen , he deba e abou he ela ionship
be ween human c ea i i y and a i icial in elligence (AI) is becoming inc easingly
hea ed and complex. A ecen a icle in he New Yo k Times by Noam Chomsky,
Ian Robe s and Je ey Wa umull (2023) highligh s ha mode n gene a i e a i icial
in elligence echnologies a e o en celeb a ed in he media wi h he p edic ion ha
hese echnologies will soon su pass he human b ain no only in e ms o p ocessing
speed and memo y capaci y bu also in e ms o ai s such as in ellec ual in ui ion,
a is ic c ea i i y and o he ypically human capabili ies. Howe e , he au ho s poin
ou ha , in con as , he human mind is an amazingly e icien and elegan sys em
ha wo ks wi h small amoun s o in o ma ion. The mind does no simply de i e
co ela ions om da a bu ies o ind explana ions. Mo eo e , he au ho s poin
ou some c i ical e hical and p ac ical issues ela ed o AI, such as p oblems o
accoun abili y, anspa ency and algo i hmic bias. These aspec s aise impo an
ques ions abou he need o main ain human con ol o e AI decision-making
p ocesses, especially in he absence o ue 'a i icial mo ali y' as al eady e ec i ely
implemen ed by a ious pla o ms o block di e en ca ego ies o esponses.
Luciano Flo idi, one o he mos signi ican oices in philosophy, o e s an insigh ul
pe spec i e on his opic. He emphasises he need o phil e he con en gene a ed
by AI o p e en i om eeding on i sel in a dis o ed way. Flo idi is c i ical o he
alleged in ellec ual capabili ies o his AI and emphasises ha while hese
echnologies expand he possibili ies o ac ion, hey a e no an imi a ion o human
in elligence. In his opinion, he e m 'a i icial in elligence' is misleading; i would be
mo e co ec o speak o age e a i iciale 'a i icially ac ing' (AI unde s ood as Age e sine
In ellige e, ins ead o AI = a i icial in elligence).
Wi h sha p i ony, Flo idi (2022) compa es he in elligence o cu en AI wi h ha
o a oas e , hus illus a ing he gap be ween he ope a ional capabili ies o hese
sys ems and ue cogni i e unde s anding. This me apho eminds us ha , despi e
signi ican echnological ad ances, ou unde s anding o human in elligence emains
limi ed and ha oday's AI sys ems, as ad anced as hey may be, a e s ill a om
mimicking he complexi y o human hough .
This conside a ion in i es us o e hink he goals o AI de elopmen . Ra he han
aiming o eplica e human in elligence, i migh be mo e p oduc i e o ocus on
imp o ing hese echnologies' ope a ional and decision-making capabili ies in
speci ic con ex s. This app oach could lead o mo e conc e e and immedia ely use ul
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inno a ions while a oiding he concep ual pi alls o a ibu ing ue 'in elligence' o
hese sys ems.
In elligence eme ges as a se ies o cogni i e and beha iou al p ocesses aimed a
adap a ion and c ea i e p oblem-sol ing. This iew emphasises how di icul i is o
eplica e human in elligence in all i s ichness and e sa ili y.
While AI con inues o make imp essi e p og ess, i is impo an o main ain a
balanced pe spec i e on i s capabili ies and limi a ions. Human c ea i i y and
in elligence emain un i alled in hei dep h, lexibili y and abili y o p oduce
meaning ul inno a ion. The u u e o AI should no aim o eplace hese human
quali ies bu a he o complemen hem and c ea e syne gies ha can enhance ou
cogni i e and c ea i e abili ies. In his p ocess, i will be c ucial o ake an e hical
and e lec i e app oach and ca e ully conside he social, philosophical and p ac ical
implica ions o he e e -inc easing in eg a ion o AI in o ou daily li es and c ea i e
p ocesses.
4. A socio-an h opological look a a and c ea i i y in he age o
A i icial In elligence
Algo i hms a e now widely ecognised by he scien i ic communi y as powe ul ools
ha signi ican ly impac he li es o indi iduals and socie ies. These compu e
sys ems o en ope a e wi h a ce ain opaci y, making hem di icul o unde s and
and analyse. Some algo i hms, pa icula ly hose based on machine lea ning
echniques, a e capable o acqui ing knowledge om human inpu , po en ially
adop ing biases and p ejudices om he aining da a. An impo an phenomenon
in his con ex is he so-called ' eedback loop'. In his p ocess, algo i hms can
eplica e and ein o ce judgemen s ha ha e been p ocessed ac oss simila
pla o ms and u he e ise esponses based on his da a in a con inuous loop. This
mechanism can lead o a p og essi e ampli ica ion o ce ain pa e ns o biases
p esen in he o iginal da a.
Awa eness o hese algo i hmic dynamics is sp eading apidly in also in e e yday
socie y, pa ly due o many people's di ec expe iences in e ac ing wi h algo i hm-
based sys ems in a ious con ex s o daily and p o essional li e.
The pe cep ion ha machines a e becoming inc easingly simila o humans has so
a mainly uelled compa a i e s udies ha ocus on machines' knowledge, skills and
biases, neglec ing wha Massimo Ai oldi (2024) conside s o be he sociological oo
o his simila i y: cul u e.
Ai oldi akes up he concep o habi us elabo a ed by Bou dieu (2003) and de ines
i as:
‘luogo do e in e agiscono s u u a sociale e p a ica indi iduale, cul u a e
cognizione. Con i lo o ges i is in i i, schemi di classi icazione sedimen a i e
bias inconsci, gli indi idui non sono né na u ali né unici. Piu os o sono il
“p odo o della s o ia [ ad. The place whe e social s uc u e and indi idual p ac ice,
cul u e and cogni ion in e ac . Wi h hei in ui i e ges u es, ing ained classi ica ion schemes
Geopoli ical, Social Secu i y and F eedom Jou nal, Volume 7, Issue 1, 2024
9
and unconscious p ejudices, indi iduals a e nei he na u al no unique. Ra he , hey a e he
'p oduc o his o y']’.
The choice o habi us in a 'da a-d i en' socie y, in which an au oma ed sys em is
ained, plays a c ucial ole in de e mining he unc ioning and pe o mance o he
sys em i sel (Ai oldi, 2024):
'A seconda dell’insieme di co elazioni espe ienziali e disposizioni s ilis iche
che s u u ano il modello, l’algo i mo di machine lea ning gene e à isul a i
p obabilis ici di e si. E go la ase di Bou dieu ‘il co po è nel mondo sociale,
ma il mondo sociale è nel co po” po ebbe esse e acilmen e isc i a in ques o
modo: il codice è nel mondo sociale, ma il mondo sociale è nel codice [ ad.
Depending on he se o expe ien ial co ela ions and s ylis ic disposi ions ha s uc u e he
model, he machine lea ning algo i hm will p oduce di e en p obabilis ic esul s. E go,
Bou dieu's ph ase ' he body is in he social wo ld, bu he social wo ld is in he body' could
easily be ew i en as ' he code is in he social wo ld, bu he social wo ld is in he code]'.
In his con ex , i is c ucial o unde s and ha he cul u e con ained in he codes
does no simply come om he machines' c ea o s. In he la es models o a i icial
in elligence, he cul u al disposi ions ha machine lea ning sys ems acqui e come
no only om hei c ea o s bu om a mul i ude o humans, he use s o digi al
de ices, who a e ully in ol ed - o en wi hou hei knowledge - in he ole o
' aine s'. They help shape he algo i hms' beha iou , demons a ing ha he 'cul u e
in he code' is he esul o a complex in e ac ion be ween a ious human and non-
human social ac o s. This p ocess is in line wi h Bou dieu's idea ha exis ing social
s uc u es a e no only e lec ed in he p ac ices o indi iduals bu a e ac i ely
ep oduced by hem. Simila ly, Ai oldi a gues ha machines and algo i hms e lec
social s uc u es and a e ac i ely in ol ed in hei ep oduc ion, ein o cing exis ing
inequali ies in bo h he ma e ial and symbolic o de . This dynamic i s in o
Bou dieu's concep o he social ield, in which algo i hms in e ac wi h use s and
pa icipa e in he dynamics o powe and s a i ica ion by in luencing social
p ac ices, guiding beha iou and con ibu ing o o ming social no ms.
In he age o a i icial in elligence, he habi us is con on ed wi h new o ms o
cul u al capi al, whe e amilia i y wi h digi al echnologies also becomes a key
elemen in c ea ing and p oducing a .
Analysing he impac o new echnologies on a and c ea i i y can be en iched by
he in e p e a i e app oach o cul u e p oposed by Cli o d Gee z. In his in luen ial
wo k 'The In e p e a ion o Cul u es' (1973), Gee z in oduced, as al eady
men ioned, he me apho o 'cul u e as ex '. Acco ding o his iew, cul u e is no
simply a de e minan o human beha iou bu a he a ne wo k o symbols ha
helps us be e unde s and a pa icula beha iou 's meaning. Cli o d Gee z
p oposed a 'semio ic' app oach o cul u e, a guing ha he scien is should engage
in ' hick desc ip ion' o in e p e cul u al p ac ises' mul i-laye ed meanings. This
me hod in ol es no only he obse a ion o beha iou bu also he in e p e a ion
o he symbols, i uals and p ac ises ha make up he cul u al en i onmen o a
socie y.
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16
A.I. echnologies, unde he guidance o hei educa o s, which can blu he lines
be ween human inpu and machine-gene a ed ideas. This aises e hical ques ions
abou au ho ship and he alue o c ea i e wo k, as s uden s migh unin en ionally
o e - ely on A.I. assis ance a he han os e ing hei inno a i e capaci ies.
Fu he mo e, es ablishing clea usage policies becomes essen ial in ensu ing a
esponsible app oach o A.I. u iliza ion in he class oom, as e idenced by he
s a egies ou lined in ecen s udies. By na iga ing hese complex dynamics,
educa o s can c ea e en i onmen s ha allow c ea i i y and echnological
ad ancemen o h i e ha moniously.
6. Conclusions
Con empo a y echnological cul u e p omo es he idea ha a i icial in elligence
(AI) is essen ial o new o ms o c ea i i y. The digi alisa ion o socie y and he
de elopmen o he concep o c ea i i y ha e con ibu ed o his end. A he same
ime, echnological inno a ion, which is economically and socially alued, has
u he d i en he use o AI in c ea i e p ocesses.
Howe e , his shi is leading o a 'loss o au a' in a , i.e. a decline in he sense o
uniqueness and au hen ici y o wo ks, as c ea ion is no longe exclusi ely human
bu media ed by echnology. This phenomenon e lec s a b oade shi in he
dynamic be ween humans and c ea ion ha is pa o he educa ional challenges o
mode n socie y.
In his scena io, educa ion in he 'cul u e' o media and new echnologies becomes
c ucial. I is necessa y o de elop a c i ical app oach ha allows people o
subo dina e echnology o hei pu poses a he han being domina ed by i . This
equi es e hinking educa ion i sel , as p oposed in he UNESCO epo (2021)
‘Reimagining ou u u es oge he : A new social con ac o educa ion’.
Sociology and an h opology o e a aluable angle om which o examine he
impac o new echnologies on he bounda ies o a and c ea i i y. Sociology, wi h
i s ocus on social s uc u es, powe and inequali ies, and an h opology, wi h i s
emphasis on cul u e, pe sonhood and human expe ience, oge he p o ide a
comp ehensi e amewo k o unde s anding he ole o AI in con empo a y li e.
This me a-disciplina y app oach allows us o analyse how AI, especially gene a i e
AI, in luences and changes a is ic and cul u al p oduc ion in con empo a y socie y.
F om his pe spec i e, he model o he 'my hological machine' heo ised by Fu io
Jesi (1973) can be in e es ing o apply o he analysis o mode n na a i es abou he
'my h' o a i icial in elligence. Na a i es abou gene a i e AI mu ually in luence
public a i udes and pe cep ions owa ds his echnology. A he same ime, he
media and cul u al ep esen a ions o gene a i e AI shape he de elopmen o he
echnology i sel . Those who epo on and in e p e he phenomenon o gene a i e
AI, be hey expe s, jou nalis s o a is s, ew i e he na a i e, ine i ably in oducing
hei ision and componen , which can be posi i e o nega i e, dys opian o u opian,
e c. The e is also a isk ha gene a i e AI will be my hologised, i.e. cha ged wi h
symbolic and my hical meanings beyond i s ac ual echnological na u e. This p ocess
Geopoli ical, Social Secu i y and F eedom Jou nal, Volume 7, Issue 1, 2024
17
can lead o clichéd o misleading ep esen a ions. Na a i es and p ac ises a ound
gene a i e AI can also ake on a " i ual" dimension, u ning hem in o eal e e yday
i uals o in e ac ion wi h he echnology.
Jesi's 'my hological machine' model can help us unde s and how na a i es abou
gene a i e AI a e cons uc ed dialec ically be ween collec i e ep esen a ions and
subjec i e in e p e a ions, which in u n in luences he success o his echnology.
A he same ime, ex s and o he wo ks c ea ed using gene a i e AI ma e ialise an
e olu ion in a kind o spi al o eedback loop owa ds his kind o dependency as
AI con inues o e ol e, e en i , as Chomsky e al. a gue (2023), po en ially in he
w ong di ec ion, i is essen ial o main ain a c i ical and e lec i e app oach o
in luencing a is ic and cul u al p oduc ion. A c i ical unde s anding o his
phenomenon's unde lying dynamics and implica ions is, he e o e, no jus a ma e
o in ellec ual analysis bu an u gen necessi y o na iga e a wo ld inc easingly
domina ed by echnology and i s na a i es.
The impac o AI on c ea i i y and a ep esen s a complex challenge ha equi es
a mul idisciplina y, c i ical, and e lec i e app oach. Only h ough a deep
unde s anding o hese dynamics can we hope o guide echnological de elopmen
in a di ec ion ha enhances, a he han diminishes, human expe ience and c ea i e
exp ession.
Fos e ing a balanced en i onmen ha in e wines AIs e iciencies wi h human
c ea i i y is c ucial o achie ing meaning ul educa ional ou comes. The e o e, he
u u e mus p io i ize de eloping inno a i e cu icula amewo ks ha emb ace
hese ad ancemen s esponsibly while equipping s uden s wi h essen ial skills o
he AI-in used wo ld.
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