Creating the Technological Saviour: Discourses on AI in Europe and the Legitimation of Super Capitalism

Abstract

Scholars in political economy of communication such as Vincent Mosco have showed how discourses around digital technologies have historically been constructed as modern myths with major references to utopian worlds and possibilities. Myths, conceived as the dominant ideologies of our time become powerful devices that normalise conventional wisdom into ‘common sense’ thus making the conception of alternatives impossible. This chapter aims to analyse the ideological discourse on Artificial Intelligence and its relevance in legitimising the hegemony of capitalism. From its beginnings in the fifties, Artificial Intelligence has been surrounded by evocative claims about the imminent creation of a machine capable of surpassing the potentials of humankind. This chapter aims to establish what hegemonic discourse around the concept of AI is emerging in Europe and what are the myths employed to construct such discourse.