Artificial Intelligence and Social Change. Editorial

This article examines the potential effects of artificial intelligence, which is characterised as the latest and perhaps the most radical technological transformation in human history, on religious life and belief systems in the context of the paradigm of social change from the perspective of the change of religious life. While rapidly developing artificial intelligence technologies make their impact felt in all areas of social life, they also raise fundamental questions about human existence, the search for meaning and ethical values. In this context, the main purpose of this article is to analyse the reflections of artificial intelligence on religious life from the perspective of social change and to address the possible effects of this new technology on belief systems, religious life, ethical values and social structures. The main justification of the article is that the transformation created by artificial intelligence is progressing rapidly and has begun to penetrate almost every aspect of social life. Artificial intelligence is no longer only a subject of the world of science and technology but is also becoming a focal point of social sciences. This article aims to meet the need to understand and make sense of the impact of artificial intelligence on religious life, based on the idea that this transformation should be addressed in terms of social change. In this article, based on the findings obtained by observation method, it is determined that the concept and applications of artificial intelligence trigger important questions about religious beliefs in the minds of individuals. In particular, the achievements of artificial intelligence that exceed human abilities and examples of its use in religious practices lead to thoughts that contradict existing religious beliefs in some individuals. This finding obtained through observation shows that the effects of artificial intelligence on religious life are not just a theoretical discussion, but a concrete analysis supported by observational data. The article also adopts a historical perspective to understand the potential impacts of artificial intelligence on religious life and social change. The transformative effects of previous technological revolutions (from the discovery of fire to the Internet) on social structures, belief systems, and lifestyles that have profoundly influenced human history are discussed. The new questions, searches and adaptation processes brought about by these revolutions are emphasised. Based on this historical context, the article argues that artificial intelligence has the potential to have a similar impact. In this context, the paper evaluates the potential effects of artificial intelligence on religious beliefs, ethical values and traditional authority that may emerge in areas such as advances in the field of medicine, potential virtual worship practices, possible robot imam figures, personalisation of religious education materials and gene editing. The article also draws attention to the potential risks of artificial intelligence. Issues such as the possibility of artificial intelligence getting out of human control and becoming a threat to humanity, the proliferation of autonomous weapons, genetic selection and manipulation are discussed, and it is emphasised that measures should be taken against these risks. The most important feature that distinguishes this article from other artificial intelligence studies is that it focuses on the effects of this technological revolution on religious life in the context of social change and addresses its possible effects on belief systems, religious practices, ethical values and social structures in a multi-faceted way. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the potential effects of the artificial intelligence revolution on religious life and social change and is believed to lay the groundwork for future research in this field. Again, this study presents the idea that a new dimension will emerge with artificial intelligence in the classical phases of social change as traditional, modern and postmodern, and perhaps this dimension may add a new phase to the phases of social change. This new phase can also be called “artificial intelligence society”.Methodologically, the theoretical analysis method based on sociology and sociology of religion literature was used in the study, and an interdisciplinary approach was adopted to evaluate the relationship between artificial intelligence and social change. In this respect, the study aims to make an original contribution that examines the effects of artificial intelligence on religious sociality and individual belief systems in the paradigm of social change.

Evolution of artificial intelligence research in Technological Forecasting and Social Change: Research topics, trends, and future directions

The ontological presupposition of artificial intelligence (AI) is the liberal autonomous human subject of Locke and Kant, and the ideology of AI is the automation of this particular conception of intelligence. This is demonstrated in detail in classical AI by the work of Simon, who explicitly connected his work on AI to a wider programme in cognitive science, economics, and politics to perfect capitalism. Although Dreyfus produced a powerful Heideggerian critique of classical AI, work on neural networks in AI was ultimately based on the individual as the locus of intelligence. Yet this conception of AI both fails to grasp the essence of large language models, which are a statistical model of human language on the Web. The training data that enables AI is the surveillance and capture of data, where the data creates a model to approximate the entire world. However, there is a more hidden ideology inherent in AI where the goal is not to perfect a model but to control the world. As prompted by an argument between Mead and Bateson, social change is prevented by the application of cybernetics to society as a whole. The goal of AI is not just to replace human beings, but to manage humans to preserve existing power relations. As the source of intelligence in AI is distributed cognition between humans and machines, the alternative to AI is collective intelligence. As theorized by Licklider and Engelbart at the dawn of the Internet, collective intelligence explains how computers weave together both human and non-human intelligence. Rather than replace human intelligence, this produces ever more complex collective forms of intelligence. Rather than meta-stabilize a society of control, collective intelligence can go outside individualist capitalist ontology by incorporating the open world of the pluriverse, as theorized by Escobar. Collective intelligence then stands as an alternative ontological path for AI which puts intelligence at the service of humanity and the world rather than a technocratic elite.

This study investigates how attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI), levels of technological competence and patterns of trust shape AI adoption, perceived labour-market risks and support for regulatory measures among working-age adults in Croatia. The analysis draws on data from a nationally representative CAWI survey conducted within the project Artificial Intelligence and Social Change. A subsample of respondents aged 18-64 (N = 418) was used for this study. The questionnaire included measures of AI usage, perceptions of labour-market uncertainty, technological and scientific trust, AI self-efficacy and attitudes toward regulation. Composite scales were constructed using reliability analysis and principal component analysis. AI adoption was modelled with binary logistic regression. Results show that younger age, stronger trust in AI and higher AI self-efficacy significantly increase the likelihood of regular AI use. Labour-market risk perceptions were examined using a general linear model, revealing that pro-technology attitudes (reverse-coded transhumanism) and higher trust in science are associated with greater perceived job insecurity related to AI, while demographic variables exert minimal influence. Support for AI regulation was analysed using logistic regression with a binary outcome capturing consistent pro-regulatory preferences. AI optimism, perceived labour-market risks and perceived technological risks all significantly increase support for regulatory measures, whereas demographic factors play only a marginal role. Overall, the findings indicate that AI adoption, labour-market concerns and demand for regulation are driven primarily by attitudinal and perceptual mechanisms rather than socio-demographic characteristics. The study highlights the coexistence of AI optimism and regulatory caution, pointing to a societal demand for governance frameworks that balance technological innovation with social safeguards.

Summary Objectives The intention of this paper is to discuss the changes that have taken place in the past fifty years and the changes that we expect in the next fifty years. We will look into the political and economic changes in the global economy and see what some of the trends that are predictable will lead to (population decreases in developed countries and difficulties funding pension schemes in developed countries…). We will also investigate some of the major issues with which humanity will have to deal with in the next fifty years for which the end is less predictable (energy depletion, resource depletion, economic integration…). We will discuss the changes that have gone on and the changes that we can expect, explaining how the tourism and hospitality industries have responded and will have to respond to the major and impactful changes that will come. Methodology The methodology is an investigation of the economic and political trends of the past fifty years and a discussion of the probable continuation of some of the trends and probability of major shifts in the next fifty years. Main Results and Contributions In 1968, the world was different from now and the tourism industry has undergone a transformation as a response to major social, political, and economic changes. Fifty years on, we have transitioned from the world of the Cold War and are well into the digital age with a globalized political economy. Here, we take the time to discuss the ways that the great political, economic, and social transformations of the last 50 years have impacted upon the social practice of tourism. We will look at the trends and their trajectory to make an assessment of how tourism will have to adjust to the new world of tourism in the next 50 years. Key in this discussion are some social changes, such as demographic changes in wealthy countries, petroleum dependency, the shift in production to Asia, the trajectory of the fiat currency system, and the increasing use of robotic technologies and artificial intelligence, among other things. We end a discussion with a discussion of how the travel and tourism industries will have to adjust to the new political, economic, and social realities of 2068. Limitations The chief limitation is that there are many salient variables to investigate in terms of coming to terms with critical changes of the past and the critical ones that will be drivers to the future. Conclusions There will be many changes in the next fifty years that we can expect such as increasing stress on the pension systems in developed countries, negative population growths in the developed countries, the increasingly critical roles of robots and artificial intelligence in service industries and resource/energy depletion. The major geopolitical reorientation of the world towards Asia is also a key variable to consider, as well as whether the long-term trend towards economic liberalization and globalization of the world economy will continue.

Harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to increase wellbeing for all: The case for a new technology diplomacy

We live in an era when we are significantly confronted with new social trends which affect the living environment, sustainable life, migration processes, global social changes, and economic innovations, as well as new technologies and more efficient use of artificial intelligence. We perceive the future not only as a scientific and technological challenge, but also as an issue of ethical importance and potential ethical risks. Therefore the civilisation changes, such as the adaptation to the parameters of a new society under Industry 4.0, call for ethical caution and moral sensibility in order to reduce, or even eliminate, potential negative impacts on humans and their existential conditions. The use of robotics and artificial intelligence in various areas, such as in the field of law, education, construction of smart cities or public administration, gene technologies, housing, productivity, social services, industry, and the like also poses a new requirement. For example, the demand will grow for creative people, professionals having understanding for a human in a new environment, in everyday contact with artificial intelligence, new functioning of institutions, business transformation, and the entire social systems. They should be individuals able to response, in a creative manner, to specific situations and needs, new forms of self-realization. There will be a radical change in the area of personalisation, this including both the education and the personalised and individualised service, responses to individual requirements of a citizen, client, or consumer. Modern era was based on mass production and social revolutions. The social changes and shifts in values are mirrored by intellectual authorities, such as G. Lipovetsky who emphasises the necessity to adopt new ethical approach in relation to the new social paradigm. "Postmodern age is obsessed with information and self-expression" (Lipovetsky, 1998, p. 19). Individual ethics will gain its momentum, the ethics of other (third) type will be necessary, e.g. the ethics as presented by G. Lipovetsky: "Our era does not restore the rule of the "good old morality", it abandons it. In this sense, it is not possible to expect any changes of laws, any exploration of new moral values. Its ambition is to participate in solutions and changes, implement mechanisms of ethical prevalence, or the instruments of ethical supervision within social plans being prepared or already implemented.Its mission is to enrich the dialogue in the area of new trends with ethical questions, to extend the interdisciplinary discourse, to enter the dialogue within innovative projects and be an active player in such dialogues. Each change affects human and human’s integrity. Underestimation of professional opinions of ethical nature may generate an irreversible or dangerous situation which could put humans under threat. Solution of consequences without setting responsibilities, assessment of ethical risks may lead to serious social issues and delayed responses which would rather stem from searching of conscience.What is more, it needs to be emphasised that new technologies are the outcome of scientific production, implementation of science, and are associated with the activities of research teams. And this is the aspect that is pointed out by the representatives of the Technology Assessment concept1, the importance of applying ethical criteria to technology assessment. The significance and risks of contemporary science are also addressed by Ulrich Beck in his Risk Society. It is evident that the issue deserves wide interdisciplinary discourse across all areas aiming to overcome particularised approaches to understanding and solutions of dilemmas. In this interdisciplinary discourse, it is necessary to emphasise the ethical context and value and contextual parameters. Initiatives associated with the transformation to the new paradigm Industry 4.0 start emerging also in Slovakia. The initiative originated at the Ministry of Economy and was approved by the Slovak Government in October 2018. Action Plan was prepared in cooperation with the representatives of individual departments, industry, associations, and the academic circles. This national concept perceives the process in conjunction with other social components and stakeholders. National strategies and conceptions tend to underestimate the ethical aspect, not taking it as an important part of innovative approaches, mitigation of risks, or prevention. We hold the opinion that Industry 4.0 constitutes a fundamental turning point that deserves ethical appreciation and solutions. The peculiarities of this paradigm should also be explored within ethics and enter, in a constructive manner, the discourse in the area of science and research, both within professional socialisation and within the area of institutionalisation of ethical instruments in order to minimise, to a maximum possible extent, the ethical risks and potential negative consequences of new technologies and use of digital data in relation to customers and partners.

Survey on artificial intelligence (AI) applied in welding: A future scenario of the influence of AI on technological, economic, educational and social changes

When covering issues on sustainable socioeconomic development such terms as ‘artificial intelligence’ (AI) and ‘social economy’ appear more and more often. At the same time, these terms are rarely used together within the same study. This article contributes to the gap filling through theoretical overview of social economy development in the context of economic and social effects of AI. For the purpose, the authors summarize theoretical insights on social and economic effects of AI; elaborate characteristics on how AI changes sociality; characterize development of social economy in the light of AI; provide examples of social innovations and AI in practice. Monographic method, methods of logical analysis and synthesis, and meta-analysis were applied. Social and economic effects that appear as a result of widespread application of AI and changes in sociality are accompanied with highly differentiated readiness to AI across countries. Given the changes above and expectations devoted to AI effects on economy, social economy may benefit from AI, particularly, through social innovations, and may reduce negative effects of AI, particularly, on overall wellbeing. For the mentioned benefits, changes in sociality that appear due to AI application have to be accompanied with timely adjustments in skills and competences. The research concludes that AI may intensify social economy development through its ability to support vulnerable groups, environmental protection and application of the newest technological solutions. In this way, AI in social economy not only contributes to efficiency and innovation in industry and the economy, but also plays a key role in promoting sustainability, social responsibility and inclusion. Keywords: Social economy, Artificial intelligence, Social and economic effects, Sociality, Sustainable Socioeconomic Development

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has penetrated every circle of our lives. The pervasiveness of AI is unprecedented. The technology has been connected to cultural values. AI holds significant potential to promote and preserve cultural values, artefacts and traditions in African societies. This study explored the place of AI as communication technology with indigenous cultural values. It sought to determine if AI is a threat to African indigenous cultural values. The paper adopted qualitative research method of relevant data with the aim of analyzing the relevant literature to achieve the objective of the study. The study established that AI technology is not a threat to indigenous cultures but social change and usage. AI can be used to promote cultural values but the erosion of cultural values is the actions of men. This is why the social construction of technology theory is relevant to this study. AI has the potentials to change culture but the values of the culture depend on the people. The social usage is what changes people’s cultural values not the technology itself. The study recommended further study on AI and social usage.

This study aims to analyze the social changes that occur among Biology Education students of Abulyatama University class of 2023 due to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The study uses a case study approach with a questionnaire instrument to explore students' experiences and perceptions. The results show that 100% of participants have used AI, especially for academic purposes such as searching for references and making presentations and paper assignments. The most widely used AI are ChatGPT, Perplexity AI, Cici AI, Meta AI, Google Gemini, Google Assistant and Blackbox AI. Students benefit from the use of AI including increased productivity in terms of time and number of tasks completed but are also aware of negative impacts such as reduced social interaction and greater dependence on technology. Ethical issues also arise, highlighting the importance of critical thinking and responsible use of AI.

Introduction. In higher education, the issue of using digital technologies that have already proved their value in other areas of social life (big data, digital libraries, the Internet of Things, etc.), and those that have recently become publicly available and still are rarely used in the education system (but are sure to be used in the future) is gaining relevance nowadays. The latter include the artificial intelligence, with ChatGPT 4.0 neural network being one of its types. In Russia, the need to implement the artificial intelligence (AI) is directly stated in the Executive Order of the President of the Russian Federation No. 490 of October 10, 2019, where the National AI Development Strategy for the period until 2030 has been approved. The Russian Federation Government Directive No. 3759-r “On Approval of the Strategic Direction in the Field of Science and Higher Education Digital Transformation” of December 21, 2021 emphasizes that the goal of digital transformation is to achieve a high level of “digital maturity” in higher education organizations, scientific organizations and the responsible sectoral body of federal executive power. The above regulatory requirements induce the research on the prospects of AI technology implementation in educational institutions of all types, including law faculties. The objective of the research is to analyse the organisational, legal and ethical aspects of using the artificial intelligence and justify (on an example of ChatGPT) the advantages and threats of integrating the neural networks in the study process at law faculties of Russian universities.Materials and Methods. In the research, the commonly accepted in Russia methods of scientific cognition were used: the dialectical method, analysis, synthesis, historical case-specific method, logical, comparative legal, systemic methods, and others.Results. In the frame of the research, the theory and practice of using the artificial intelligence in educational process at law faculties have been analysed on an example of ChatGPT neural network. The need of embedding into the curriculum (e.g., at Master's level) the special academic courses that present the features of using the artificial intelligence in juridical practices has been justified. The advantages and threats of using the artificial intelligence, possible regulations for its use in the study process have been identified. Ethical issues of using the artificial intelligence have been investigated, and the experience of various Russian and foreign universities that accept its usage has been summarised.Discussion and Conclusion. Humanity is on the threshold of a new industrial revolution, therefore it is impossible to hinder the development of artificial intelligence any longer. Under the influence of ChatGPT, not only the concept of higher education and a list of teacher and student competencies will change in the nearest future, but also the very understanding of ethics, acceptability and parameters of using the artificial intelligence and other digital technologies. The ideology and philosophy of higher education will change, which will entail legal, methodological, technical and other consequences resulting in adoption of the new digital-reality-related amendments to the Russian Law on Education. The countries where a conservative approach to the new digital educational technologies prevails, will be lagging behind the advanced countries of the world. Formation of a new digital model of graduate’s competencies will happen against the background of other social life changes, including the use of the Internet of Things, unmanned aerial vehicles, robots, artificial intelligence, big data, nanotechnology and many other things. Although the majority of these innovations are not directly related to law, their use will require a legal framework, and lawyers competent in resolving digital disputes will be needed. This is precisely why digital technologies should be integrated into education and taught to students of law faculties.

Are we preparing for a good AI society? A bibliometric review and research agenda

This article explores the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) philosophy and the theory of innovation adoption in the context of rapidly advancing AI technology. The increasing global investments and societal impact of AI underscore the need to understand its philosophical dimensions and societal acceptance. The article begins by examining John Searle's critique of "Strong AI" and fundamental AI philosophy topics, including the relationship between thinking and computation, emotional intelligence, and creativity. It evaluates AI's pursuit of understanding the human mind and consciousness. Rogers' Theory of Innovation Adoption is used to explain societal acceptance of AI technology. The use of AI in cinema not only reflects technological advancement but also encourages philosophical debates. The article shows the interaction of AI philosophy with other disciplines such as philosophy of mind, cognitive sciences, ethics, epistemology, semiotics, aesthetics, and cinema theory. The paper inspects the influence of AI on cinema, its role in societal acceptance, and uses Rogers' theory for framing. The work intends to contribute to the effective management of technological and social change, and also to direct further research in this domain.

In the near future, as artificial intelligence and computing network technology develop, collaboration with artificial intelligence (AI) will become important. In an AI society, the ability to communicate and collaborate among people is an important element of talent. To do this, it is necessary to understand how artificial intelligence based on computer science works. AI is being rapidly applied across industries and is developing as a core technology to enable a society led by knowledge and information. An AI education focused on problem solving and learning is efficient for computer science education. Thus, the time has come to prepare for AI education along with existing software education so that they can adapt to the social and job changes enabled by AI. In this paper, we explain a classification method for AI machine learning models and propose an AI education model using teachable machines. Non-computer majors can understand the importance of data and the AI model concept based on specific cases using AI education tools to understand and experiment with AI even without the knowledge of mathematics, and use languages such as Python, if necessary. Through the application of the machine learning model, AI can be smoothly utilized in their field of interest. If such an AI education model is activated, it will be possible to suggest the direction of AI education for collaboration with AI experts through the application of AI technology.