5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

The recent leaps in the development and performance of GenAI, particularly ChatGPT, has captured the public imagination. Yet, how can sociology engage with GenAI – be it as a technological artefact, political discourse, future imaginary, or as a sci-fi myth? GenAI can be approached as non-human agents, performing behaviours that may be (mis)interpreted as intentional or even meaningful; as communicative persons, participating in the construction of social reality; as supposedly intelligent assistants or even slaves, assisting humanity to live a better life. Sociological research can help understand and explain how we, as social creatures, but also social systems transform in order to make the use of GenAI not only acceptable but indeed desirable. The session is open to any submission of conceptual, methodological, and empirical nature that addresses the interplay, if not interweaving, of societal structures and GenAI in contemporary society.