Communication and thought. Social systems, generative artificial intelligence, and humans in education.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32870/in.vi31.7331Keywords:
Communication, Sytems theory, Generative Artificial Intelligence, Higher education, Structural couplingAbstract
This essay articulates a theoretical and empirical reflection on the centrality of communication in the analysis of political and educational systems, focusing on the link between David Easton's theory of political systems and Niklas Luhmann's theory of social systems. Considering the increasing integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) into university teaching, it proposes a reconceptualization of academic practices that addresses the relationship between thought, human communication, systemic operations, and the technical capabilities of GAI. The text develops: (1) Easton's critique of institutionalism and its narrow focus on actors, (2) Luhmann's reformulation that shifts attention to autopoietic communication, (3) the intersection between political and educational systems viewed as structural coupling, and (4) a detailed analysis of how GAI intervenes at the normative-formal, organizational-procedural, and symbolic-cultural levels of the university. Using contemporary evidence and debates (2020–2025) on IAG and education, the essay concludes by showing the differences between the forms of communication of university processes.Downloads
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