Nigel Tubbs
‘Through conceptual research, interdisciplinary investigation, and critical analysis, CASC seeks to reveal the underlying assumptions, mechanisms, and social effects of AI systems, illuminating both their possibilities and their constraints in contemporary society.’ (CASC)
In what follows I try to bring into the critical space of CASC reflections on (1) two articles on AI-human companionship, (2) the demise of critical theory alongside the idea that ‘screen-life’, now living a physical AI existence, is a new kind of ‘totality that is false,’ and (3) the suggestion that space of and for critique is preserved in the persistence of memory—not the ‘memory space’ of AI but the ‘critical space of human memory.’ My suggestion is that it is in the critical space of human memory not only that the distinction between AI and human is preserved, but also that this is where the reshaping of human actuality by the digital ecosystem (the totality that is false) can be known and opposed […]
Brian L. Ott
In our contemporary digital world, new technologies emerge at a rapid pace, shaping not only the way we communicate but also how we perceive, understand, and interact with our surroundings. Among these technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) has garnered particular attention not simply as a computational tool, but as a cultural and epistemic force. AI’s increasing presence in education, work, media, and daily life invites us to reflect on how it is transforming human thought, behavior, and social structures. Yet the conversation around AI often oscillates between extremes, between alarmist declarations of its harms and uncritical celebration of its potential. This essay seeks to provide a more measured perspective grounded in medium theory, emphasizing AI’s structural biases, while situating its impacts in a broader historical and cultural contexts.
Technology and Bias: A Media Ecology Perspective
As a media ecologist, my work examines how new technologies alter our social environment, thereby reshaping human cognition, perception, and behavior. Central to this approach is the recognition that technologies are never neutral. As Lance Strate […]
