Rethinking hybridity: From hybrid systems to assemblages

The term "system" in hybrid human–AI systems evokes the idea of humans and AI coming together forming a fixed, structured entity with clear boundaries and pre-defined functions. But if we examine how hybridity unfolds in everyday life from the perspectives of cultural anthropology and science and technology studies, we do not see systems, but rather constantly changing assemblages of heterogeneous elements, relations, and practices. This opinion paper proposes that using an assemblage thinking approach to understanding hybridity better accounts for human–AI entanglements in their everyday unfolding, offering a deeper insight into the various elements and dynamics contributing to them. This perspective implies (at least) three arguments. Firstly, hybridity is messy; Secondly, hybridity comes into being through joint practices; Thirdly, hybridity is constantly transforming. By using the notion of assemblage to better understand hybridity, this paper seeks to contribute to interdisciplinary collaborations in the analysis and development of human–AI hybrids.