KI Made in Europe

Abstract

Abstract The way new media technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) are implemented in our cultures is not only configured by technologies themselves, but also by circulating narratives, appropriations, and rhetorics. This article takes on the topic of AI rhetorics, using the example of mass media’s depiction of the role Germany and Europe play regarding these new technologies. It does so by (1) discussing the current state of Critical Algorithm Studies research, (2) presenting the results of a case study of German newspaper articles, and (3) reflecting on starting points for an applied rhetoric. In public discourse, AI systems are – implicitly – framed as being uncircumventable for our cultures, and specific issues that they entail appear to be unambiguous at first glance. Based on my findings, I contend that there is a pressing need for differentiated studies on AI rhetorics, just as much as there is a need for rhetorically educated subjects to shape our collective futures and conceive of new utopias.