Emotional Cyborgs in a Hyperconnected World: AI, Embodiment, and Ecofeminist, Theological Reflections on Humanity and the Divine
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35469/poligrafi.2025.517Keywords:
emotional cyborgs, theological ecofeminism, emotions, relationality, hyperconnected reality, gender stereotypesAbstract
Through the critical lens of theological ecofeminism, this article offers a nuanced analysis of the concept of the (emotional) cyborg, interrogating how the integration of technology into human (emotional) life reshapes individual identity, affective experience, and social relationality. Central to this inquiry are the dynamics of human interaction with affective computing and artificial emotional intelligence, broadly defined as technological systems capable of mimicking, interpreting, simulating, and responding to human emotions.
As developments in artificial intelligence and biotechnology continue to advance, the boundary between human and machine becomes increasingly porous. Within this context, the figure of the emotional cyborg emerges as a compelling framework for examining the transformation of human emotion and connection in technologically mediated environments.
This investigation is situated within broader socio-cultural concerns, particularly the contemporary quest for authenticity in a hyperconnected world, where digital interactions frequently eclipse embodied, face-to-face communication. Drawing on posthumanist and critical ecofeminist theory, this article explores the implications of the entanglement between human and artificial emotional intelligence. Among the key concerns are the potential for emotional alienation, the erosion of empathy and emotional literacy, and the commodification of affective life.
In addition, the analysis engages with the implications of these shifts for pressing contemporary issues, including mental health, social isolation, and the reconfiguration of community and belonging. At its core, the presentation interrogates how emotional cyborgs intersect with gendered experiences within technologically saturated realities, and challenges and reimagines traditional theological conceptions of embodiment and relationality.
The emotional cyborg, conceived as the hybridization of human emotional capacities with artificial intelligence, functions simultaneously as a reflection of and intervention in prevailing social constructions of gender, affectivity, and intersubjective connection.
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