Non-Human Actors, Human Consequences: A Sociological Inquiry Into the Social Restructuring by Artificial Intelligence
in: Rethinking Education and Agency in the Age of Human-Generative AI Interaction, IGI Global, pp.399-417, 2025
- Publication Type: Book Chapter / Chapter Research Book
- Publication Date: 2025
- Doi Number: 10.4018/979-8-3373-1195-1.ch013
- Publisher: IGI Global
- Page Numbers: pp.399-417
- Anadolu University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
This chapter argues that artificial intelligence is not a neutral technology but a powerful social phenomenon reflecting and reshaping society. Using a systematic literature review, this chapter critically analyzes Generative AI, examining its societal embedding and consequences beyond purely technical assessments. The analysis reveals key themes: the tension between simulated intelligence and social understanding; how AI is socially constructed via concepts like habitus and habitability; and its function as a cultural medium that reproduces dominant norms. Furthermore, the chapter contends that the ‘algorithmic bias’ discourse obscures deeper issues of structural inequality, strategic opacity, and the corporate power shaping AI’s development. This chapter synthesizes key sociological concerns about AI and asserts the discipline’s essential role, not only in critiquing the technology but in actively participating in its design and regulation to foster a more equitable and democratic future.