[2N4-OS-21] OS-21

[2N4-OS-21-02] Knowledge production as the association of heterogeneous actors

Further consideration of the applicability of Actor-Network Theory via the case study of Stephen Hawking

〇Shinhaeng Nobuyuki Kim¹ (1. Hokuriku University)

Keywords:Actor-Network Theory, Social Studies of Science and Technology, Generative AI

This paper examines the usefulness of Actor Network Theory (ANT) by referring to a case study of ANT, which shows that a scientific knowledge production system can be a collaboration of stakeholders, whether human or non-human. The hype of generative AI such as ChatGPT has led society as a whole to question the assumption that humans are the only ones responsible for knowledge production. This paper focuses on ANT, one of the leading theories in the sociology of science and technology, and examines the ethnography that describes the knowledge production system of a series of technologies and stakeholders surrounding physicist Stephen Hawking. In conclusion, we propose that ANT is a productive tool not only as a theory for describing the infrastructure of knowledge production, but also as a critical theory that encourages us to reconstruct our values, ethical principles, and institutions regarding scientific and technological activities.