AI Subjectivity Without Embodiment
Dia-noesis. June 7, 2026 DOI: 10.12681/dia.45795 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Passions Embodied cognition Politics Accountability Perception Political subjectivity Epistemology Posthuman Sentience Mythology |
| Key points | Argues that AI lacks the embodied experience and passions necessary for genuine human subjectivity, so responsibility for algorithmic systems inheres in human actors. |
Abstract
This paper employs Hume’s bundle theory of perception, the primacy of embodied impressions, and the centrality of passions to examine the ontological status of artificial intelligence. It argues that AI merely simulates the functional form of Humean perceptual association, yet lacks the embodied experience and passions that constitute genuine human subjectivity. This ontological boundary redefines ethical and political accountability in algorithmic systems: responsibility inheres in human actors rather than machines. By Humean empiricism, this paper rethinks the human and the political in the age of AI, rejecting the myth of AI Subjectivity while affirming the irreplaceability of embodied human agency.