Abstract: The rapid advancement and widespread adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, especially machine learning models and generative technologies, have intensified academic, economic, and social debates, marked by both expectations of technological innovation and ethical and epistemological concerns. This essay addressed the need to critically examine the recurring analogy between algorithmic rationality and human cognition, as well as the risks associated with the normalization of technosolutionary narratives and the persuasive use of AI-based systems. The main objective of this article was to analyze the epistemological limits of this analogy and discuss its ethical, social, and political implications. More specifically, the study examined the role of hype-driven discourses in the AI boom, issues related to algorithmic biases, opacity, and governance, as well as the mechanisms of algorithmic persuasion and cognitive modulation in digital environments. Methodologically, the research adopted a qualitative, theoretical-analytical approach based on a critical review of interdisciplinary literature, with contributions from the philosophy of mind, the sociology of technology, cognitive science, and critical studies on AI. The results suggest that AI does not constitute intelligence in the human sense, since it lacks consciousness, intentionality, and semantic understanding, although it cannot be reduced to a simple collective illusion either. Thus, AI is understood as a powerful statistical technology whose social impacts depend less on supposed cognitive autonomy and more on its modes of use, institutional governance arrangements, and ethical guidelines that shape its development and application.
Authors: BRANDÃO, Iraê César
DOI: 10.29327/7770134
Publish Year: 2026
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