State transformations: from human to artificial intelligence

Abstract

The implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in public administration significantly enhances the efficiency of state functions while simultaneously posing several theoretical and practical challenges, including the illusion of the ethereal nature of government management. This article presents a philosophical investigation into the transformation of key aspects of statehood under the conditions of rapid digitalization and the integration of AI into various spheres of social life. The focus is placed on changes in sovereignty, subjectivity, citizenship, borders, the bureaucratic apparatus, and the provision of public services. The author emphasizes that the digitalization of the state does not signify its dissolution but rather a radical restructuring of its internal logic, structure, and modes of interaction with citizens. A central theoretical perspective of the study is the phenomenon of information, which in the digital age functions simultaneously as a strategic resource and an object of state policy. Special attention is given to the transformation of private data – even of a personal nature – into a matter of public concern, thus becoming the foundation of regulatory governance. The article also explores a new epistemological paradigm emerging through AI systems: knowledge is increasingly perceived not as the result of individual reasoning but as a product of algorithmic data processing. This shift alters societal perceptions of truth and authority and contributes to the erosion of the classical distinction between the private and public spheres, facilitating centralization and challenging traditional notions of civil society. Theoretical foundations for the study are drawn from the works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, Max Weber, Niklas Luhmann, Charles Tilly, Cyril N. Parkinson, and David Chalmers. Building on these thinkers, the author outlines several core transformations brought about by AI: (1) The diminishing role of the bureaucrat as a personal embodiment of state power, with procedural systems increasingly operating autonomously through machine learning and algorithmic governance; (2) The transformation of sovereignty from a territorially bounded form into a networked structure that enables citizens to interact with the state regardless of their physical location, thus laying the foundation for a new, globalized mode of social organization; (3) The growing capacity of the state to regulate and control through access to vast datasets, raising acute ethical dilemmas regarding the limits of state intervention in private life and the evolving political status of the individual in the digital era. A key philosophical question raised in the article concerns the potential for the state itself to emerge as an AI-based subject. The author analyzes David Chalmers’ thought experiment The Army of Demons, which models a system in which disembodied cognitive agents collectively form a unified consciousness. This conceptual framework leads to the provocative question: can a fully digitalized state become a conscious and autonomous entity, deserving recognition as a subject in its own right? The article is intended for a wide audience, including scholars, philosophers, political scientists, public administrators, and civic actors interested in contemporary transformations of statehood, the ethical aspects of the digital age, and the long-term impact of AI on the political organization of society.