Issue Digital humanism and the recovery of human-centred values

Summary

Digital humanism refers to a philosophical and social discourse, emerging amid AI, neurotechnology, platforms and digital humans, that seeks human-centred technological development as identity, ethics, emotion and relationships are redefined. It began as a critique of technological determinism and aims to put human dignity, autonomy, responsibility and solidarity back at the centre of how technologies are developed, adopted and used. The convergence of AI, automation, neurotechnology and biotechnology now reaches into thought, emotion and physiology, reshaping who judges and who bears responsibility, while emotion algorithms and digital humans mediate personal autonomy. Platform-based environments concentrate power, information and algorithmic decision-making, deepening governance imbalance, privacy intrusion, alienation and weakened agency. A value shift from technical efficiency toward human sustainability is under way, and international bodies such as UNESCO, the OECD and the EU are institutionalising AI ethics guidelines, commercialisation limits and accountability rules.