New Forms of (Mis)communication and Artificial Intelligence: Exploring Alienation, Empowerment and Accessibility

In the seminal cyberpunk classic Ghost in the Shell, written in the ’90s by Masamune Shirow, the protagonist Motoko Kusanagi poses a highly significant question for the increasingly relevant debate surrounding new Artificial Intelligences: «What if a cyber brain could possibly generate its own ghost, create a soul all by itself? And if it did, just what would be the importance of being human then?» (Masamune, 2019). The advent of ever more complex Artificial Intelligences that increasingly challenge our definitions of “being human” is placing bioethical issues at the forefront (Corbett, 2009). Communication is particularly affected by the AI revolution: the ability to mass-produce content at times indistinguishable from human output, with negligible time and cost, represents a significant opportunity for anyone engaging with others, especially on the web.  With the exponential proliferation of Artificial Intelligence services focused on text, image, and video generation, such issues increasingly transcend the realms of science fiction and philosophical speculation to touch on the practical lives of each of us. The broad term AI identifies technologies aimed at reproducing a thinking intelligence, performing complex tasks typically within the realm of the human mind (Broussard, 2018). In communication, AI forms based on Natural Language Processing (NLP) are particularly flourishing: through algorithms, the goal of these mechanisms is to understand human language and generate communication (textual or even audiovisual) that mirrors it (Guzman & Lewis, 2020.) Recent advancements in the research on generating algorithmic responses have facilitated the use of Artificial Intelligence in interpersonal communication (Hohenstein & Jung, 2020). Chatbots, analytical tools, targeting, content creation, and crisis management strategy development are just a few concrete applications implemented in recent years (Danso et al., 2023). The shift to a communication landscape that encompasses not only human-to-human but also human-to-machine interactions (often unknowingly) can only have effects on society and approaches to relationships. How can one trust online communication with the constant doubt of interacting with something non-human (Jakesch et al., 2019)? What role does the collective image of Artificial Intelligence, constructed and solidified by mass culture, play in developing a relationship with AI itself (Nader et al., 2022)? Simultaneously, can this technology lead to new perspectives of accessibility and empowerment, promoting more inclusive and democratic communication (Chauhan & Kshetri, 2022)? These questions become even more complex when placed in the context of web 3.0 culture and, especially, social media, already afflicted by issues of alienation and depersonalization. This article, through an analysis of communicative changes brought about by recent de-velopments in Artificial Intelligence, aims to propose answers.