Reassembling Agency: Epistemic Practices in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

This article reflects on how sociology can analyse the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in scientific practice without buying into the current AI hype. Drawing on sensibilities developed in actor-network theory (ANT), it introduces the concept of 'agencing' (agency as a verb) which refers to how scientists debate and configure human and machine agency. It suggests that we can come to a more nuanced understanding of the effects of AI in science by attending to actors' agencing practices. By discussing three ideal types of agencing, the article argues that AI should not be regarded as a rupture in the tooling and practices of science, but rather as a continuation of long-standing patterns of practice.

read the pdf doi: 10.37062/sf.62.27824

Lee, Francis. 2025. "Reassembling Agency: Epistemic Practices in the Age of Artificial Intelligence." Sociologisk Forskning 62(1-2): 43-58. https://doi.org/10.37062/sf.62.27824