HUMAN AUTONOMY AND WELLBEING IN THE AGE OF AI: TOWARDS THE NEW SOCIAL CONTRACT?

This paper challenges the pervasive myth of technological neutrality by unmasking the intrinsic ways in which digital devices, algorithms, and infrastructures encapsulate social, political, and economic imperatives from their inception to deployment. Drawing on seminal works by Winner, O’Neil, Heidegger, and Zuboff, among others, the study explores how every design decision—from smartphone interfaces to recommendation algorithms—carries latent biases and agendas that shape human behavior and societal power structures. The analysis traverses the evolution of technology as a cultural force, beginning with the transformative impact of the iPhone and extending to the increasingly immersive realms of the metaverse. By invoking Plato’s allegory of the cave, the paper illustrates how algorithmic mediation creates a curated reality that narrows public discourse while eroding individual autonomy. Contemporary discussions on generative AI reveal further complexities, including opaque decision-making processes and emergent risks to cognitive agency and democratic participation. Concluding with a proposal for a new social contract, the paper calls for interdisciplinary regulatory reforms, digital literacy programs, and global cooperation to ensure that technological progress shifts towards human empowerment and participatory democracy.