Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly permeating key sectors of society: in education, language models co-author term papers; in the arts, images are created at the click of a prompt; in journalism and marketing, content is being produced automatically. AI-generated media influences visibility and attention on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram; new asymmetrical dependencies and epistemic ambiguities arise since GenAI generates probabilistic and not necessarily semantically meaningful outputs; and political and cultural representations as well as democratic decision-making are impacted. Current academic discourse and public debates highlight how AI systems can reproduce existing inequalities and establish new forms of algorithmic authority. It is therefore unsurprising that the use of these systems is being critically examined in relation to freedom, emancipation, and (collective) self-determination. Generative AI is a social, political and cultural phenomenon whose diverse power relations are analysed in a wide variety of fields. However, the dimensions of generative AI’s power have yet to be systematically conceptualised.

Research on GenAI addresses a variety of intersecting power relations: economic concentration, epistemic authority, algorithmic control, colonial continuities, and new forms of digital subjectivation. Following Steven Lukes, one might posit that we are dealing with numerous “faces of power” in the context of GenAI, which are described and analysed in academic discourse using various concepts, such as instrumentarian power, model power, recursive power, racial capitalism, or epistemic injustice. However, it remains unclear and has yet to be systematically discussed how these understandings of power relate to one another: where they complement, overlap, or contradict each other. It is therefore the intention of the workshop to focus specifically on the question of which concepts and terms could be used to systemically theorise power in relation to GenAI. The workshop aims to provide a space in which these different theoretical perspectives on power can be reflected upon in relation to one another and their mutual connectivity. The emerging framework should enable us to better grasp the powerful relationship between technology, the subject, and society, and to critically reflect on the social, economic, and political relations of power and domination associated with GenAI. We therefore welcome contributions that engage with these issues through conceptual, theory-building, or comparative analyses.

Call for Abstracts

Proposals (approx. 500 words) along with a brief biography (max. 150 words) should be submitted by 15 August 2025 to workshop-generative-ai[at]wzb.eu. If accepted, an extended abstract (2000 words) is expected. Proposals, extended abstracts, and presentations can be in English or German. The discussion will be held in English. For transparency, please note that travel or accommodation expenses cannot be reimbursed.

Download: Call for Abstracts (PDF)

Organisers

• Sebastian Berg
• Jana Heim
• Clara Iglesias Keller
• Florian Irgmaier
• Ann-Kathrin Koster