Vilém Flusser's Media Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence
In his philosophy of media, Vilém Flusser offers profound insights into the transition of human communication from a “writing civilization” to a “programmed civilization” through key concepts such as “programmed thinking,” the “apparatus,” and “artificial intelligence.” He argues that the linear, historical, and critical characteristics of traditional writing are being replaced by the programmed and functional logic of symbolic encoding. Among these, the “apparatus” serves as the operational matrix of programmed thinking, devouring history to generate post-history (technical images) and transforming humans into “functionaries,” ultimately diluting human subjectivity. Artificial intelligence, as a programmed apparatus, further intensifies this crisis by projecting and simulating human brain functions externally. Based on this, this paper examines the internal logic among Flusser’s concepts of programmed thinking, the apparatus, and artificial intelligence, synthesizes the theoretical framework of his thought on artificial intelligence as media, and provides theoretical resources for understanding the technological‑cultural dilemmas of the digital age. Furthermore, through a phenomenological‑existential “secondary translation,” this paper reframes the crisis of subjectivity as a generative issue within media ontology, offering a theoretical entry point for revisiting human subjectivity in the digital era.