No. 1 (2026)
Critique of artificial reason: sociological perspectives on power, ethics, and human relations

1/2026

Matters of awareness. Interpreting the human factor in relation to artificial intelligence and cybersecurity

Published 2026-01-31

  • Emanuela Susca
    • ,
  • Federica Fortunato
    • ,
  • Simonetta Muccio

Emanuela Susca
Università IULM, Milano

Federica Fortunato
Università IULM, Milano

Simonetta Muccio
Università IULM, Milano

Abstract

The paper presents the results of a study on a sample of over 5000 individuals (aged 18+) concerning knowledge, attitudes, and everyday uses of AI, with a focus on privacy, ethics, cybersecurity, and algorithmic bias. The quali-quantitative ap-proach values subjectivities and highlights ambivalences between hopes and fears, offering new critical reflections on the digital divide.

Keywords

artificial intelligence; cybersecurity; ethics; cognitive biases; aware-ness; digital divide.

PDF (Italian)

Author Biography

Emanuela Susca

Emanuela Susca è professoressa associata di Sociologia generale all’Università IULM di Milano. È membro di AIS e di ESA, per cui partecipa al Research Network “Science and Technology”. È autrice di The Smart Society and Its Enemies. Meanings and Limits in the Criticism of Smartness. SocietàMutamentoPolitica 14(28) (2023).

Federica Fortunato

Federica Fortunato dal 2000 collabora con l’Università IULM, dove attualmente insegna Sociologia del cambiamento nell’era digitale. Ha collaborato con il Politecnico di Milano e l’Università degli Studi di Milano. Autrice con S. Muccio di: Studenti e Intelligenza Artificiale: tra familiarità e incertezza (Lumi, 2025).

Simonetta Muccio

Simonetta Muccio, insegna presso le Università IULM di Milano e LIUC di Castellanza, è metodologa della ricerca sociale. Esperta di didattica innovativa e GenAI. Autrice con F. Fortunato di: Preparati o preoccupati? Competenze, ansia e benessere soggettivo dei lavoratori nell’era dell’IA (Lumi, 2025).

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