Hey Alexa, Who Will I Be?: A Theoretical Exploration on Personal Assistants and the Shaping of the Future Self
Theodoros Kouros · 2025
Abstract This chapter sheds light on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) personal assistants, like Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant, may shape self-construction and, eventually, the future self, through the lens of classical sociological theories. Drawing on Mead’s symbolic interactionism, Cooley’s looking-glass self, and Goffman’s dramaturgical approach, the author argues that AI systems function as a digital mirror and generalized other. They invite users into interactions that reflect, affirm, and occasionally challenge user preferences and behavior. Shaping identity, these technologies give personalized feedback and produce complex effective and affective relationships. The chapter shows how AI can transform existing self-conceptions or open pathways to new identities while raising critical ethical questions regarding algorithmic biases, privacy, and autonomy. Such bridging of sociological theory with the technological realities of AI gives new insight into how such systems shape individual and social norms, influencing not just the present self but also the trajectory of future identities. Gaps in research also depict a need for further investigations pertaining to human–AI interaction.