Which Smartness? Whose Intelligence? Critical Perspectives on AI and Political Subjects

This volume critically explores the ways in which smart technologies have profoundly transformed our societies, shaping the way we interact, govern, and understand ourselves as subjects and political agents. It examines how the current regime of digitalization and the rapid growth of artificial intelligence converge into the techno-political category of “smartness," and it advances a critical perspective on how this category functions as a key component of systems of power. As digital socio-technical ensembles introduce new spaces of subjectivation, interpellation, and the co-constitution of subjects, the process of smartification fundamentally alters the boundaries and interactions within our social and physical landscapes. By embedding smart technologies into various facets of daily life, the distinction between private and public spheres also blurs. Smartification submits human life to an algorithmic logic of exchange, where every interaction—a social engagement, a work task, a leisure activity—is quantified, monitored, and optimized for efficiency. This pervasive algorithmic governance reshapes human agency, coercing individuals to conform to predefined patterns of behavior that align with commercial and political interests. Yet while in the dominant paradigm technological development centers around profit maximization and surveillance, this does not preclude the possibility of reimagining and repurposing technological innovations. Thus, the ultimate hypothesis of this book is that technology must be a target of critique both for exposing it as a site of power and control, and for opening technological potentialities. This book is of interest to academic specialists, as well as undergraduate and graduate/advanced students, in fields such as philosophy of technology, political theory, critical theory, media studies, history of technology, science and technology studies, and the ethics of technology. It is also of interest to researchers and students in critical data studies and digital humanities, as well as legal scholars and professionals, including technologists and digital rights advocates.