Massimo Airoldi, Machine Habitus. Toward a Sociology of Algorithms, Cambridge, Polity Press, 2022, pp. 200

Abstract

It all begins with a birth. On 31^st March 2019 the Roman neighbourhood of Torpignattara warmly welcomed a new member of the community. Shortly after, the little being took the first steps towards the local culture learning from passers-by chats. Its future seemed somehow natural, even though the baby is not like the others. Its name is IAQOS: a software able to interact with human beings by recognising and learning from their gestures and voices. The newcomer is therefore a social actor participating in the local society. This is part of the ‘open-source artificial intelligence of the neighbourhood’ project carried out by two artists: the robotic engineer Salvatore Iaconesi and the communication scientist Oriana Persico.