Anthropology of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Making sense of machines

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly become a central force shaping contemporary social, economic, and cultural life. This paper explains the field of the anthropology of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a simple way. It reviews the main ideas, research methods, significant social issues, and ethical and political debates related to AI. Anthropology does not see AI as only a technical tool. Instead, it studies AI as something shaped by society, culture, everyday practices, and power relations. AI works through physical systems, human labour, and social institutions, and it is influenced by cultural beliefs and values. The paper highlights four important areas of research: i. Studying the material systems behind AI and the human labour involved; ii. Understanding how algorithms shape culture and influence how people see and organize the world; iii. Examining how humans interact with machines in daily life; iv. Questioning issues of power, control, responsibility, and decision-making in AI governance. The paper also discusses research methods used by anthropologists and suggests future directions, especially the need to study AI from diverse cultural perspectives and to connect small, local studies with larger economic and political structures.