The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in its myriad forms — from predictive analytics to generative models, from chatbots to labor management machines — heralds a transformative shift in the digital public sphere. As the essays in this collection demonstrate, AI systems are not merely neutral tools; they are imbued with the power to shape social identities, legal frameworks, labor relations, and the very fabric of our shared digital space.
Sandra Wachter's insightful analysis of the limitations and loopholes in the E.U. AI Act and AI Liability Directives underscores the urgent need for robust governance to address the immaterial and societal harms of AI. Xin Dai's exploration of AI chatbots in China's public legal services sector illuminates the potential for AI to enhance access to justice while also highlighting the risks of unequal service quality and breaches of confidentiality. Michele Elam's case studies of artist-technologists of color challenge dominant discourses of racialized populations as passive recipients of AI's impact, instead positioning them as active co-creators of knowledge in the digital realm. Veena Dubal and Vitor Araújo Filgueiras' compelling piece reframes digital labor platforms as machines of production, revealing the alarming physical and psychosocial toll on workers subject to algorithmic management. Woodrow Hartzog's incisive essay exposes the dynamics of extraction, normalization, and self-dealing that underpin AI deployment, calling for a layered regulatory approach to safeguard the public good. Collectively, these essays demonstrate that the future of the digital public sphere hangs in the balance, contingent upon our ability to critically examine and conscientiously shape the development and deployment of AI systems. Only by recognizing AI's capacity to fundamentally alter the contours of our shared digital space can we hope to harness its potential for the collective good while mitigating its harms.