Asaf Bar-Tura

Critical theorists of recent decades have not only delineated the political nature of technology, but also its malleability, and the possibility for a more democratic technological society. More recently, developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies not only shape how we communicate, but also how we think, what we expect, and how we relate to others. Therefore, critical theory of technology must examine the possibilities for society to shape technology while dialectically addressing the ways in which technology is shaping society. My thesis here includes three main arguments that build one upon the other: First, a contemporary critical theory of AI technologies needs a comprehensive political-theoretical framework through which to critique technology and its role in a democratic society. Second, Jurgen Habermas’s theory of law and democracy offers a necessary framework through which to ground a critical theory of AI. Third, equipped with the Habermasian discourse-based democratic framework, I offer some considerations for public reason in the age of AI. These include the role of media power, designing for trust, and the importance of nurturing the political imagination.

Habermas claims that an inclusive public sphere is the only deliberative forum for generating public opinion that satisfies the epistemic and normative conditions underlying legitimate decision-making. He adds that digital technologies and other mass media need not undermine – but can extend – rational deliberation when properly instituted. This paper draws from social epistemology and technology studies to demonstrate the epistemic and normative limitations of this extension. We argue that current online communication structures fall short of satisfying the required epistemic and normative conditions. Furthermore, the extent to which Internet-based communications contribute to legitimate democratic opinion and will formation depends on the design of the technologies in question

The global economic crisis and the responses to it have brought to the fore questions of sovereignty and cosmopolitanism. In a world so interlinked, what is the proper way to order the global arena, politically and economically? This essay examines Habermas’ multilayered approach to world organization, as well as Pogge and others. Focusing on the question of trade policies, I argue (contra Habermas) for robust global economic governance policies, but (contra Pogge) that these policies should uphold fair trade instead of free trade. This approach has the advantage of alleviating world poverty while at the same time strengthening local communities in developing countries. To this effect, I show why borders should matter more when it comes to capital, and less when it comes to people.

The rapid development of new media and online social networks has given rise to hopes that these media will serve as a democratizing vehicle. Through an Arendtian analysis of the significance of the public sphere, and a Habermasian normative framework for public discourse, this essay examines the contribution of cyber media to participation in public discourse and a more accessible public sphere. It argues that although online social networks can play an important role in the political realm, they ultimately fall short of fulfilling the democratic need for a true public sphere and for the kind of public discourse a true public sphere requires.