Machine anthropology or will robots talk about us behind our back?

Abstract

This article proposes an anthropological approach on technology's own discourse on humanity-or whatever humanity will become-and proposes the term "Machine Anthropology" to designate this discourse. While it may resonate with Agamben's "anthropological machine"-through which humans constantly recreate themselves in reference to, and against, the animal-Machine Anthropology refers to something slightly different: it is pointing to a potentiality of the future, when humanity itself will be the object of analysis for the informed gaze of Artificial Intelligence. Thus, Machine Anthropology designates possible images of humanity through the sensorial and analytic apparatus of the future global technological network. This article in the inaugural issue of the Journal of Future Robot Life will be twofold. It will explore the possible implications of the emergence of Machine Anthropology, while also speculating on the triad AI, humanity, and nature. While Agamben's anthropological machine constantly recreates nature as opposing referent for culture/humanity, how will the introduction of a third dimension impact this binome? What will be the shape/understanding of nature, if it would exist at all, in the AI algorithms, and further more in the future Machine Anthropology? These type of questions are important today when the rapid advancement of technology is concomitant with the setting of rapid climate change disruptions. If we are approaching an AI future, will climate-and ultimately nature-be relevant for AI?

Augmented anthropology

“…The transition from a real or one-dimensional anthropology, constrained to the physical world, to an anthropology that navigates diverse dimensions inhabited by varied entities, dismantles age-old dichotomies. It necessitates the recognition that humans are not solely biological beings but also intricate amalgamations of machinery and algorithms (Balasescu, 2020;Ingold, 2000). In this expanded paradigm, the interactions between humans, machines, and alternate dimensions intertwine, revealing the interconnectedness of these seemingly distinct facets.…”