Memory, artificial intelligence and reflexive perspectives

The three essays of this sections, entitled “Memory, artificial intelligence and reflexive perspectives”, are briefly introduced. The article examines how memory is redefined in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI), no longer a stable archive but a fragile interplay of recollection and oblivion. From oral traditions to digital media, every support that stores the past also shapes it, selecting what survives. With AI, memory shifts from preservation to production, capable of rewriting narratives and inventing new ones. Three essays address this transformation: Daria Forlenza (“Remembering the Past: AI, Archives and Black Community Representation”) explores Black British communities, archives and AI, highlighting both empowerment and risks of bias; Beba Molinari (“What Memory? Artificial Intelligence, Lucid Hallucinations and Other Errors”) reflects on algorithmic hallucinations as mirrors and amplifiers of mnemonic processes, warning of false yet plausible cultural narratives; Antonella Tennenini (“Natural Memory and Artificial Memory”) contrasts human and machine memory, stressing dangers of cognitive offloading and the need to safeguard human faculties. Together, they show that memory under AI is not a mere technical extension but a site of political, epistemological and anthropological negotiation, requiring vigilance and critical integration.