Between Fascination and Fear

This paper reflects on the current hyperpresence of artificial intelligence in everyday life and the way society oscillates between fascination and fear in response to its expansion. Through a historical and conceptual approach, the essay argues that AI does not operate as an autonomous agent, but rather as an amplifier of the human framework from which it is used. Within this context, the Hybrid Cognitive-Affective Model (HCAM) is introduced as a proposal for a conscious, responsible, and situated integration between the human and the artificial, in a scenario increasingly shaped by the virtualization of reality.