Vol. 2 (2025)
Original Articles

AI as the “final frontier”? Narratives, geographies, and relationships in the human–algorithm coproduction

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  • Emanuele Frontoni,
  • Simona Epasto
Emanuele Frontoni
Department of Political Science, Communication and International Relations, University of Macerata, Italy
Simona Epasto
Department of Political Science, Communication and International Relations, University of Macerata, Italy
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/jep-20877

Published 2026-07-18

Keywords

  • artificial intelligence,
  • human-algorithm coproduction,
  • geographical embeddedness,
  • AI regulation,
  • interdisciplinary approach,
  • EU AI Act,
  • digital sovereignty
    • ...More
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Copyright (c) 2026 Emanuele Frontoni, Simona Epasto

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

This article critically interrogates the metaphor of artificial intelligence (AI) as a “final frontier,” revealing its colonial and expansionist roots and its inadequacy in capturing the embeddedness of AI systems within complex sociotechnical landscapes. Combining a geographical perspective with insights from computer engineering, we argue that the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act marks a paradigmatic shift from narratives of conquest to frameworks grounded in regulation, accountability, and coproduction. Through empirical vignettes in healthcare, recruitment, and criminal justice, we show how AI operates not in neutral or uncharted spaces, but within spatially and institutionally situated environments. Algorithmic systems both shape and are shaped by territorial infrastructures, legal frameworks, and social relations. By bridging disciplinary approaches, the paper advances a nuanced, interdisciplinary understanding of human–algorithm interaction – one that moves beyond deterministic imaginaries to address the spatial, political, and ethical dimensions of AI governance.

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