What happens when AI has a say in human meaning, knowledge and power? Professor Simon Lindgren asks these questions in his new book, “Discourse Machines: Power and Knowledge in the Age of Large Language Models”.
Large language models are a type of AI system trained on massive amounts of text and code to understand, summarize, translate, and generate human-like language. These AI technologies are everywhere from chatbots and search engines to content generators and decision-making systems.
With their integration in our daily lives, Simon Lindgren, Professor of Sociology at Umeå University, argues that these systems are not neutral tools but active producers of meaning, knowledge, and power.
“These machines reproduce truth, perform authority without understanding, and simulate care without embodiment,” says Simon Lindgren.
As generative AI becomes woven into schools, hospitals, newsrooms, and public institutions, the consequences grow more profound. With a sharply critical lens, Simon Lindgren explores what it means when the act of producing language is handed over to machines—and how we can actively reclaim human dialogue and democratic conversation from automated systems.
Available Today
“Discourse Machines: Power and Knowledge in the Age of Large Language Models” is available today for all interested.
AI, Power and Politics
Interested in AI and power? Simon Lindgren is research leader of the WASP-HS Research Environment, AI Power and Politics.
