The Talking Mirror: Subjectivation and Digital Reflections in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract This article examines the concept of the Talking Mirror through an interdisciplinary approach at the intersection of artificial intelligence ethics, sociology, and political science. The concept rests on the metaphor that digital technologies and AI systems not only reflect the self but also “speak back” to individuals, thereby producing a new experience of subjectivation. The theoretical framework draws on Lacan’s mirror stage, Foucault’s theory of subjectivation, McLuhan’s media theory, Turkle’s studies on technology and the self, Zuboff’s analysis of surveillance capitalism, and Crawford and Floridi’s discussions on digital ethics. The central research question of this study is how AI-mediated reflections transform individual processes of subjectivation, and what the epistemological, existential, and social implications of this transformation are. Methodologically, the article adopts metaphorical and conceptual analysis combined with interdisciplinary theoretical synthesis. In the “Discussion” section, the impact of the Talking Mirror phenomenon on knowledge production, subjectivity, and power relations is critically examined. The study concludes that the concept provides a novel analytical framework for understanding human–technology interaction and contributes to the re-evaluation of subjectivity and ethical principles in the digital age.