Reimagining Human Agency in the Age of AI: A Social Science Perspective
Shivani Vartak, Asst. Prof.
Children Welfare Centre’s College of Law, Mumbai.
Abstract
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the way humans live, work, and relate to one another, raising urgent questions about the future of human agency. Agency—the capacity to act, make decisions, and shape social realities—has long been a central concern in the social sciences. Classical thinkers like Max Weber, Émile Durkheim, and Karl Marx offered influential accounts of agency, linking it to intentionality, social structures, and material conditions. Contemporary scholars such as Anthony Giddens, Pierre Bourdieu, Judith Butler, and Amartya Sen have further expanded these debates, highlighting the dynamic interplay of agency and structure, the embodied and performative aspects of action, and the possibilities for human freedom.
The rise of AI challenges these established frameworks in profound ways. Algorithms and data-driven systems increasingly influence human decisions, creating distributed forms of agency in which outcomes are shaped jointly by humans and technologies. Automation reshapes the relationship between labour and identity, while predictive analytics and surveillance practices reshape autonomy, privacy, and control. Social relations are increasingly mediated through platforms and algorithmic profiles, producing fragmented digital identities. These developments raise concerns about alienation, inequality, and the erosion of human freedom, while also opening possibilities for new forms of empowerment and cooperation.
This paper argues that reimagining human agency in the age of AI requires moving beyond individualistic understandings of rights and autonomy. Instead, a relational and systemic view is needed—one that recognizes the interconnectedness of human and technological actors. Drawing on classical and contemporary social theory, posthumanist approaches, and non-Western philosophies such as Advaita Vedānta and Integral Humanism, the paper explores how agency can be understood as shared, relational, and interdependent. Rather than treating AI solely as a threat, the analysis also highlights ways it can augment human capabilities if guided by ethical governance, participatory design, and digital literacy.
Ultimately, the paper suggests that the challenge of AI is not the disappearance of agency but its transformation. The task for social science is to develop concepts and frameworks that help societies navigate this transformation, ensuring that human dignity, freedom, and responsibility remain central in an increasingly algorithmic world.
DOI link – https://doi.org/10.69758/GIMRJ/2509I9VXIIIP0026
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