Ethical Assemblages of Artificial Intelligence

This book critically examines the ethical challenges of Artificial Intelligence (AI), focusing on facial recognition and AI-assisted reproductive technologies. It explores how these issues intertwine with social and political processes and power dynamics in digital societies. What defines ethical versus unethical in the realm of AI? Why do some ethical debates dominate, while others are overlooked? Which actors and institutions align or diverge in these discussions? To address these questions, the authors introduce the concept of "ethical assemblages," offering fresh perspectives on the complexities of AI ethics and their impact on socio-technoscientific structures.

Helena Machado, Full Professor of Sociology at University of Minho (Braga, Portugal), conducts research at the intersection of sociology, science and technology studies, critical surveillance studies, and criminology.

Susana Silva, Associate Professor of Sociology at University of Minho (Braga, Portugal), focuses on people-centered health policies and integrated care in socio-technical environments.

Ethical assemblages of artificial intelligence will appeal to scholars in STS, sociology, ethics, governance studies, and critical AI research. Its conceptual rigor, empirical sensitivity, and interdisciplinary orientation make it a valuable contribution to debates about how ethical norms are formed, contested, and enacted in relation to AI. Machado and Silva provide readers with an interpretive framework for understanding AI ethics as a sociotechnical and political process. (Wael Badawy, Computing Reviews, April 23, 2026)