Gilbert Simondon's Image Theory and Human-Technology Relations through Imagination and AI Image Generation
Jacqueline Bellon · 2025
This chapter discusses (1) French philosopher Gilbert Simondon’s image theory by introducing his four-phase model of modes of existence of images and his idea of image evolution; and (2) applies this theory and other notions from his philosophy to the analysis of human-technology relations and the fostering of artificial intelligence (AI) literacy through culture/public discourse – thus discussing a part of what makes media futures . The argument is supported by examples of current practices of generating and sharing AI-generated synthetic images online, images produced with text-to-image generative AI applications such as MidJourney, Stable Diffusion, or DALL·E, which are shared on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram with non-malicious intentions. These practices are interpreted as a playful engagement with technology through the lens of human-technology relations and as calling for a need for AI literacy and epistemic competence. This interpretation builds on Simondon’s image theory in Imagination and Invention and his philosophy of technology in On the Mode of Existence of Technical Objects . Overall, the contribution deals with both mental and material images, points out some human-machine differences, and discusses how living beings “host” mental images that may materialize into “image-objects.”