THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE HUMANITIES: A PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEM OF SEMANTIC DISTORTION
TL;DR
It is demonstrated that the use of AI in analyzing texts, as well as cultural and historical sources, carries the risk of semantic reduction and the loss of conceptual depth.
Abstract
The article examines the application of artificial intelligence technologies in the humanities through the lens of a philosophical analysis of the problem of semantic distortion. Particular attention is paid to the specifics of machine learning algorithms when processing humanities data, where understanding, context, and interpretation play a pivotal role. It is demonstrated that the use of AI in analyzing texts, as well as cultural and historical sources, carries the risk of semantic reduction and the loss of conceptual depth. The theoretical framework of the study is grounded in Hans-Georg Gadamer’s hermeneutic approach, which posits that understanding is dialogical in nature and always rooted in the historically determined horizon of the interpreter. Additionally, the analysis draws on Martin Heidegger’s philosophy of technology, where modern technology is understood as a mode of revealing Being that tends to transform meaning into a mere resource. The paper concludes that without accounting for human presence and conceptual depth, AI technology becomes a tool for technical manipulation, substituting understanding with efficient calculation.