The Illusion of Rupture: Techno-Determinism, AI Hype, and the Narratives We Build Around Machines

Abstract (English)

Mainstream narratives surrounding artificial intelligence often depict it as a disruptive force heralding an inevitable and revolutionary rupture in human history. Framed as both salvation and existential threat, AI is imagined as an autonomous actor with agency, accelerating us into a post-human future. This presentation challenges such techno-deterministic mythmaking by critically examining the cultural and epistemic stories we build around AI and other emerging technologies.

Drawing from examples in speculative fiction, media discourse, and innovation strategy, the talk unpacks how AI hype reproduces existing power structures under the guise of “disruption.” From algorithmic bias to labor exploitation in AI supply chains, the promises of efficiency and progress often obscure the social, ethical, and economic continuities at play. Techno-optimist language—rooted in visions of transcendence, automation, and digital salvation—masks the political dimensions of AI deployment and the deep entanglement of these systems with corporate, military, and economic agendas.

Rather than viewing AI as a rupture, the presentation proposes a reframing: AI as a cultural artifact embedded in long-standing historical, ideological, and social contexts. Using tools from critical foresight, media anthropology, and narrative analysis, it explores how we might reclaim agency by telling different stories—ones that prioritize justice, participation, and planetary well-being over speed and scale.

By dismantling the illusion of rupture and exposing the limits of deterministic thinking, this contribution invites a more grounded, human-centered conversation about digital transformation and the futures we still have the power to shape.