Artificial Intelligence and Social Research. Methods, Contexts, Imaginaries

Open Access Book edited by Alessandra Micalizzi: “…explores one of the most pressing transformations of contemporary knowledge production: the integration of artificial intelligence into the practices, methods, and epistemologies of the social sciences. Moving beyond simplistic narratives of automation and efficiency, this volume investigates AI as object, tool, context, and partner of research. Bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives, the contributions examine how algorithmic systems reshape inquiry, interpretation, and representation, while also raising fundamental methodological and ethical questions. From AI-assisted qualitative analysis and ethnography to digital imaginaries, bias, and futures thinking, the chapters reveal the complex co-production between technological systems and social knowledge. Rather than offering definitive answers, the book provides conceptual tools, empirical cases, and methodological reflections for navigating a rapidly evolving research landscape. It invites scholars to engage critically and creatively with artificial intelligence—not as a distant technology, but as an active participant in the construction of contemporary social understanding…(More)”.