AI’s Societal Ripples - 4 Theories Explaining the Waves
4 Radically Different Visions for AI's Relationship to Society
How do you make sense of our relationship between AI and society?
Are humans driving technology change? or are we victims of that change?
Which is true? It matters.
Your perspective, or lens on the world, has a big impact on how you feel.
The lens you choose to see the world through, determines what you see.
A rainy day: for a gardener - perfect for their plants, for a picknicker - ruins a day.
An empty calendar: for a introvert - a lovely day of peace, for an extrovert - a boring day that must be filled with some plans.
Having a different lens, can completely change how you see reality.
That determines not only how you feel, but what you say, and how you act.
Some lenses might make us feel better, but might not help us really understand.
Other lenses might not make us feel good, but might actually give us a better understanding of the world as it is, rather than the way we want it to be.
Choosing the right lens to see the world with, or to see AI with, is not easy.
Is it better to use a lens that makes us feel better? or understand reality better?
What is the right lens to understand our relationship with AI?
In this post, I'm going to cover 4 key theories of technology and society for you that see this relationship in very different ways.
At the end, I'll give you my thoughts on which one I think is the best, why, and how this lens could help society, and help you.
4 Key Theories on Technology and Society
Technological Determinism
This perspective believes that technology is the primary driver of social change.
Key ideas:
Technology develops independently of social forces
Technological advancements inevitably lead to social and cultural changes
Society must adapt to technological progress
AI implications: From this view, the development of AI could be seen as a force that will inevitably reshape society, with humans needing to adapt to an AI-driven world.
Key thinkers: Thorstien Veblen, Karl Marx, William Ogburn and Clarence Ayes.
Key quotes:
Technological determinism is the common belief that while we cannot influence technologies, technologies have a great influence on us, our behaviour and society. Technological change = a powerful agent of change
One of the problems with technological determinism is that it leaves no space for human choice or intervention and absolves us from responsibility for the technologies we make and use. If technologies are developed outside of social interests, then workers, citizens, and others have very few options about the use and effects of these technologies
Social Constructivism
This in many ways is the opposite of Technological Determinism.
Social Constructivism argues that social and cultural factors shape the development and use of technology.
Key ideas:
Technology is shaped by human choices and social contexts
The impact of technology depends on how society chooses to use it
Different social groups may interpret and use the same technology differently
AI implications: Social constructivists would emphasise how AI is influenced by societal values, economic interests, and cultural norms. They would focus on how different societies might develop or adopt AI in varying ways.
Key Thinkers: Wiebe Bijker, Trevor Pinch, Judy Wajcman.
Key quotes:
Technological artefacts are culturally constructed and interpreted; in other words, the meanings given to technologies and how technologies are used are strongly shaped by the cultural context.
By focusing almost entirely on the social shaping of technology, constructivism pays little or no attention to the consequences of technological choice.
Actor-Network Theory (ANT)
ANT views technology and society as part of a complex network of human and non-human actors.
Key ideas:
Technology and society are interconnected in a web of relationships
Both human and non-human entities have agency in shaping outcomes
Focus on how networks of actors form and influence each other
AI implications: ANT would consider AI systems as active participants in socio-technical networks, examining how they interact with and influence human actors, institutions, and other technologies.
Key thinkers: Bruno Latour, Michel Callon, John Law.
Key Quotes:
The strength of ANT is that it allows us to describe the elements in a situation and pose questions about them rather than imposing a theory of human motivation on them.
Some critics have argued that research based on ANT perspectives remains entirely descriptive and fails to provide explanations for social processes.
Wikipedia - Actor-Network Theory
Posthumanism
This perspective challenges the centrality of human beings and explores how technology blurs the boundaries between humans and machines.
Key ideas:
Questions traditional notions of human specialness & exceptionalism
Explores how technology extends or enhances human capabilities
Considers the ethical implications of human-technology integration
AI implications: Posthumanist thinkers might explore how AI could fundamentally alter what it means to be human, considering scenarios of human-AI merging or the emergence of artificial general intelligence (AGI).
Key thinkers: Katherine Hayles, Donna Haraway, Rosi Braidotti
Key quotes:
Posthumanism is a philosophy which provides a suitable way of departure to think in relational and multi-layered ways, expanding the focus to the non-human realm in post-dualistic, post-hierarchical modes.
Posthumanism treats sci-fi as actual prognosis, blueprint, prescription or description of what the world is, will be or could be. It treats our experiences of prosthetics, implants, body monitoring apparatuses and information technologies as other than grounded, embodied, practical and every day.
Which Theory I'd Pick and Why
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