Artificial intelligence (hereinafter AI) is one of the defining factors of the current stage of social development. The implementation of AI technologies is accompanied by unevenness and unpredictability in outcomes, which brings to the fore the problem of integrating machine intelligence into sociocultural processes. Addressing this challenge is complicated by the polysemy of the very concept of artificial intelligence. Contemporary discourse distinguishes two main approaches to its definition: the ontological approach (addressing the question of the essence of AI) and the functional-utilitarian approach (addressing the question of AI’s capabilities). An analysis of these approaches reveals a correlation between human perception of AI and the nature of its impact on social processes. The article argues that under conditions of growing complexity and opacity of neural network models, AI systems acquire operational autonomy – the ability to achieve specified goals in ways that are unpredictable to humans. This phenomenon underscores the significance of the performativity of AI conceptualizations: our theoretical understandings of its nature do not merely describe reality but actively shape it, guiding public expectations and practical actions. These arguments substantiate the need for further research into the socio-ontological status of artificial intelligence.

1. Chakraborty S. AI and society – a case study on positive social change. thechUK. Available at: https://www.techuk.org/resource/ai-and-society-a-case-study-on-positive-social-change.html (accessed 10.10.2025).

2. The alliance of Nvidia and OpenAI, immortality and investor fears: main events of global markets. Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.ru/investicii/546713-souz-nvidia-i-openai-bessmertie-i-strahi-investorov-glavnye-sobytia-mirovyh-rynkov (accessed 10.10.2025) (in Russian).

3. Autor D. H. Why are there still so many Jobs? The history and future of workplace automation. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2015, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.29.3.3

4. Vera Hoyos C., Cárdenas Marín W. O. The use of artificial intelligence in political decision-making. Philosophie, 2025, vol. 10, no. 5, art. 95. https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10050095

5. Lanum N. Google apologizes after new Gemini AI refuses to show pictures, achievements of White people. FOXBusiness. Available at: https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/google-apologizes-new-gemini-ai-refuses-show-picturesachievements-white-people (accessed 10.10.2025).

6. Harari Y. N. Homo Deus: a brief history of tomorrow. New York, HarperCollins, 2017. 449 p.

7. Zuboff S. The age of surveillance capitalism. New York, PublicAffairs, 2019. 704 p.

8. Dennett D. The problem with counterfeit people. The Atlantic. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/05/problem-counterfeit-people/674075/ (accessed 10.10.2025).

9. Kosmyna N., Hauptmann E., Yuan Y. T., Situ J., Liao X. H., Beresnitzky A. V., Maes P. Your Brain on ChatGPT: accumulation of cognitive debt when using an ai assistant for essay writing task. Preprint, arXiv:2506.08872. Ithaca, Cornell University, 2025. 216 p. https://doi.org//10.48550/arXiv.2506.08872

10. Ray Kurzweil on how AI will transform the physical world. The Economist. Available at: https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2024/06/17/ray-kurzweil-on-how-ai-will-transform-the-physical-world/ (accessed 10.10.2025).

11. Altman, S. Sora update #1. Blog.samaltman. Available at: https://blog.samaltman.com/ (accessed 10.10.2025).

12. Egan M. The «godfather of AI» reveals the only way humanity can survive superintelligent AI. CNN. Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/13/tech/ai-geoffrey-hinton (accessed 10.10.2025).

13. Blitz M. Understanding Heidegger on Technology. The New Atlantis, 2014, no. 41, pp. 63–80.

14. Heidegger M. Being and Time: articles and speeches. Moscow, Respublika Publ., 1993. 447 p. (in Russian).

15. Kustov S. A. Functionalist and phenomenological approaches to the problem of artificial intelligence: comparative analysis of the concepts of R. Brandom and H. Dreyfus in the context of technological development. Obshchestvo: filosofiya, istoriya, kul’tura = Society: Philosophy, History, Culture, 2025, no. 2, pp. 111–118 (in Russian). https://doi.org/10.24158/fik.2025.2.15

16. Bostrom N. Superintelligence: paths, dangers, strategies. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2014. XXII, 352 p.

17. Yudkowsky E. Pausing AI developments isn’t enough. We need to shut it all down. TIME. Available at: https://time.com/6266923/ai-eliezer-yudkowsky-open-letter-not-enough/ (accessed 10.10.2025).

18. Edwards B. As ChatGPT gets «lazy», people test «winter break hypothesis» as the cause. Ars Technica. Available at: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/12/is-chatgpt-becoming-lazier-because-its-december-people-run-teststo-find-out/ (accessed 09.01.2026).