Minds at stake: Generative AI, epistemic power, and the competition for knowledge

Document Type : Editorial

Author

Department of Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

10.22059/jcss.2026.412464.1242

Abstract

The rapid diffusion of generative artificial intelligence as a primary interface for information-seeking has introduced a new and underexplored dimension of power in contemporary societies. As hundreds of millions of users worldwide increasingly turn to large language models for answers to everyday questions, the corporations that develop and deploy these systems have gained an unprecedented capacity to shape what people know, how they reason, and whose version of the world prevails. Drawing on Shoshana Zuboff's theory of surveillance capitalism and Michel Foucault's analytics of power/knowledge, this article argues that the competition among major technology firms in the generative AI sector is not merely commercial but fundamentally epistemic. Through a review of recent empirical data on AI adoption and a critical analysis of market concentration, the article demonstrates that a small number of corporate actors— operating with limited public accountability and considerable opacity— are consolidating control over the epistemic infrastructure of daily life. This concentration reproduces and deepens existing asymmetries of knowledge, raising urgent questions for democratic governance. The article concludes by calling for the reconceptualisation of AI information systems as public epistemic infrastructure, subject to transparency requirements, independent auditing, and democratic oversight.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Auer, D. & Zúñiga, M.A. (2025). “AI partnerships and competition: Damned if you buy, damned if you don't”. https://laweconcenter.org/resources/ai-partnerships-and-competition-damned-if-you-buy-damned-if-you-dont/.
Bacallo, D.L.D.L.; Bie, P.E.G.; Tulabut, R.Y.C.; Pineda, A.J.M.; Vicente, A.P.; De Vera, A.R.; ... & Dizon, R.C. (2024). “Digital learning revolution: Identifying the influence of dependency on artificial intelligence tools towards the knowledge acquisition of students”. Ignatian International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research. 2(8): 1338-1362. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13359360.
Cherniak, C. (2026). “80+ key chatbot statistics for 2026: Perceptions, market growth, trends”. https://masterofcode.com/blog/chatbot-statistics.
CNBC. (2025). “OpenAI is under pressure as Google, Anthropic gain ground”. December 2. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/02/open-ai-code-red-google-anthropic.html.
Crestodina, A. (2026). “The AI-search adoption survey: These 6 charts show where and how people look for things”. Orbit Media Studios. https://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/ai-vs-google/.
Dalisaymo, L. (2025). “Assessing student dependence on artificial intelligence tools”. The International Journal of Technologies in Learning. 32(2): 67. https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-0144/CGP/v32i02/67-81.
Dean, B. (2025). “24 amazing chatbot statistics for 2024”. https://backlinko.com/chatbot-stats.
Eastwood, B. (2024). “Openness, control, and competition in the generative AI marketplace”. MIT Sloan Management Review. https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/openness-control-and-competition-generative-ai-marketplace.
Foucault, M. (1980). Power/ Knowledge: Selected Interviews and other Writings, 1972–1977. Gordon, C. (Ed.). Pantheon Books.
France Épargne Research. (2026). “State of AI 2026: Comprehensive market & technology analysis”. February 2. https://www.france-epargne.fr/research/en/state-of-ai-entering-2026.
Hollenbeck, S. (2025). “58+ chatbot statistics for an AI-focused future”. https://www.rev.com/blog/chatbot-statistics.
Jose, B.; Cleetus, A.; Joseph, B.; Joseph, L.; Jose, B. & John, A.K. (2025). “Epistemic authority and generative AI in learning spaces: rethinking knowledge in the algorithmic age”. Frontiers in Education. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1647687.
Karamuk, E. (2025). “The automation trap: Unpacking the consequences of over-reliance on AI in education and its hidden costs”. In Pitfalls of AI integration in education: Skill obsolescence, misuse, and bias. pp. 151-174. IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-0122-8.ch007.
Kersley, A. (2024). “Big tech's cloud oligopoly risks AI market concentration”. https://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Big-techs-cloud-oligopoly-risks-AI-market-concentration.
Khalkho, R.; Singh, S.; Gupta, N. & Srivastava, P. (2024). “Impact of educational AI on students' studying habits and academic performance”. In 2024 International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computation-Based Sensor Application (ICAIQSA). December: 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICAIQSA64000.2024.10882178.
Kriger, B. (2025). “The disciplinary logic of knowledge and the architecture of subjectivity: Rethinking Michel Foucault in the age of artificial intelligence”. The Common Sense World, Medium. https://medium.com/common-sense-world/the-disciplinary-logic-of-knowledge-and-the-architecture-of-subjectivity-rethinking-michel-009657621824.
Pew Research Center. (2026). “Key findings about how Americans view artificial intelligence”. March 12. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/03/12/key-findings-about-how-americans-view-artificial-intelligence/.
---------------. (2025). “Teens, social media and AI chatbots 2025”. December 9. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/12/09/teens-social-media-and-ai-chatbots-2025/.
Shahghasemi, E. (2025). “AI; A Human Future”. Journal of Cyberspace Studies. 9(1): 145-173. https://doi.org/10.22059/jcss.2025.389027.1123.
Stanger, A. (2022). “The Real Cost of Surveillance Capitalism: Digital Humanism in the United States and Europe”. In Werthner, H.; Prem, E.; Lee, E.A.; Ghezzi, C. (eds). Perspectives on Digital Humanism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86144-5_5.
Szmyd, K. & Mitera, E. (2024). “The impact of artificial intelligence on the development of critical thinking skills in students”. European Research Studies Journal. 27(2): 1022-1039. https://ersj.eu/journal/3876.
Tuomo, T. (2022). “Shoshana Zuboff, The age of surveillance capitalism: The fight for a human future at the new frontier of power”. Journal of Social and Political Philosophy. 1(1). https://doi.org/10.3366/jspp.2022.0034.
Zuboff, S. (2022). “Surveillance capitalism or democracy? The death match of institutional orders and the politics of knowledge in our information civilization”. Organization Theory. 3(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/26317877221129290.
---------------. (2019). The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. PublicAffairs.
Journal of Cyberspace Studies
Volume 10, Issue 2
July 2026
Pages 341-346

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 05 April 2026
  • Accept Date: 05 April 2026
  • First Publish Date: 11 April 2026
  • Publish Date: 01 July 2026

Share

How to cite

Statistics