This volume provides a timely analysis of the emerging phenomenon of autonomous technology, a topic of intense contemporary importance given the transformative potential and risks posed by rapidly developing AI systems. It utilizes a unique approach by focusing on the ways that these technologies can be understood via the lens of animism and ‘techno-animism,’ a term that denotes how society and individual users are attributing life-like properties – agency, intention, and will – to technological systems. The volume further interrogates and critiques the ways that autonomous technologies are often intentionally designed to promote socioemotional connections with users. The volume investigates such technologies through a variety of global settings and interdisciplinary lenses. With contributions from scholars across anthropology, sociology, communication studies, law, and design theory, it offers a range of perspectives on how autonomous technologies are reshaping cultural and social institutions worldwide. Furthermore, this collection addresses the urgent need for concrete research on the readiness of legal and social frameworks to incorporate autonomous technologies. With the imminent widespread integration of autonomous technologies into our everyday lives, the volume provides a critical examination of human-technology interaction and its immediate implications, guiding readers through the intricate web of digital interconnectedness that is on course to define the future of humanity.
