Artificial Intelligence within Sociology

Abstract

The potential linkages between artificial intelligence and sociology are growing. This growth is due to importation of artificial intelligence techniques into methodological tools for data analysis, a growing interest among researchers in artificial intelligence in the socially situated agent, and a growing interest among sociologists in using artificial intelligence techniques for theorizing about social phenomena. Increasingly, researchers are addressing concerns of traditional importance within sociology, such as the bases for cooperation, the role of structure in affecting individual agency, and interaction using computational models of intelligent adaptive agents. This article provides an overview of the role that artificial intelligence currently plays within sociology.