Biopower of Algorithms
Critical AI Literacy and Virtue Ethics in Secondary School
Parole chiave:
Biopower, Algorithmic Governance, AI Literacy, Virtue Ethics, Autonomy, BioethicsAbstract
This paper presents a conceptual framework for educating about artificial intelligence in secondary schools, grounded in the triangle algorithm–autonomy–biopower. Drawing on Foucault's notion of biopower, we argue that profiling, recommendation, and reinforcement mechanisms translate user metrics into subtle governance, raising bioethical concerns about human dignity and autonomy. The primary risk is neurobiological and behaviorist reductionism, where scientific knowledge is instrumentalized to manipulate attention and choice. Our response is a program of critical AI literacy, cross-curricular with Civic Education, that treats algorithms as non-neutral forces. Operationally, we integrate Human–Computer Interaction perspectives with virtue ethics, cultivating enkrateia (self-control) and phronēsis (practical wisdom) through structured deliberation, transparency, and explicit "autonomy algorithms" as Learning Object for selecting and assessing AI systems without dark patterns.Riferimenti bibliografici
Aristotle. (2005). Etica Nicomachea (C. Natali, Ed.). Laterza.
Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (1979). Principles of biomedical ethics. Oxford University Press.
Benini, A. (2022). Neurobiologia della volontà. Raffaello Cortina.
Casilli, A. A. (2020). Schiavi del click: Perché lavoriamo tutti per il nuovo capitalismo. Feltrinelli.
Coeckelbergh, M. (2020). AI ethics. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Cuomo, S., Ranieri, M., & Biagini, G. (2024). Scuola e intelligenza artificiale. Percorsi di alfabetizzazione critica. Carocci.
Floridi, L. (2024). The ethics of artificial intelligence: Principles, challenges, and opportunities. Oxford University Press.
Foucault, M. (2015). Nascita della biopolitica: Corso al Collège de France (1978–1979). Feltrinelli.
Gehlen, A. (1987). Prospettive antropologiche. Per l’incontro dell’umo con se stesso e la scoperta di sé da parte dell’uomo. Il mulino.
Haynes, T. (2018, May 1). Dopamine, smartphones, and you: A battle for your time. SITN Harvard. https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/dopamine-smartphones-battle-time/
Holmes, W., & Porayska-Pomsta, K. (Eds.). (2023). The ethics of artificial intelligence in education: Practices, challenges, and debates. Routledge.
Illich, I. (1973) Tools of Conviviality, HarperRow.
Jaeger, W. (1978). Paideia: La formazione dell’uomo greco (3 voll.). La Nuova Italia.
Jonas, H. (2009). Il principio responsabilità: Un'etica per la civiltà tecnologica. Einaudi.
McFarlane, D.C., Latorella, K.A. (2002). The Scope and Importance of Human Interruption in Human–Computer Interaction Design. Human–Computer Interaction 17, 1–61
Panciroli, C., & Rivoltella, P. C. (2023). Pedagogia algoritmica: Per una riflessione educativa sull'intelligenza artificiale. Scholé.
Pisano, A. (2024). Enkràteia e dopamina per un'etica degli algoritmi: Contro i riduzionismi neurobiologico e comportamentista. Bioetica. Rivista Interdisciplinare, 31(1), 153–172.
Pisano, A., Crispini, F., & Rossi, L. (2025). AI & Ethics Literacy in Secondary School: A Pilot Study. In Proceedings of 2nd Workshop on Artificial Intelligence with and for Learning Sciences: Past, Present, and Future Horizons. Springer Nature Computer Science book series (Forthcoming).
Potter, V. R. (1971). Bioethics: Bridge to the future. Prentice-Hall.
Russell, S. (2019). Human compatible: AI and the problem of control. Penguin.
Sadin, É. (2019). Critica della ragione artificiale: Una difesa dell’umanità. LUISS University Press.
Tiribelli, S. (2024). Identità morale e algoritmi: Una questione di filosofia morale. Carocci.
Zuboff, S. (2019). The age of surveillance capitalism: The fight for a human future at the new frontier of power. PublicAffairs.
##submission.downloads##
Pubblicato
Come citare
Fascicolo
Sezione
Licenza
Copyright (c) 2026 Aldo Pisano

Questo lavoro è fornito con la licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.