TRANSHUMANISM IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE:THE SOCIO-PHILOSOPHICAL DIMENSIONS OF THE DIGITAL SOCIETY

The relevance of the study. The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and neural interfaces underscores the need for a socio-philosophical analysis of transhumanism as a philosophical movement that advocates the possibility and desirability of technologically enhancing human nature. As digital society takes shape, transhumanist ideas are moving beyond academic discourse to become a driving force behind real-world social transformations, raising fundamentally new questions about the nature of human agency, the boundaries between the natural and the artificial, and the future social order. This article aims to examine the socio-philosophical dimensions of transhumanism in the age of artificial intelligence through an analysis of the movement’s key conceptual foundations, its interconnection with the processes of digitalisation, and a critical reflection on the associated risks and prospects. The study’s methodological framework is based on its stated aim and research objectives and adopts an interdisciplinary approach drawing on social philosophy, technology ethics, the social sciences, and media studies. The study employs comparative- historical analysis, the phenomenological method, critical discourse analysis, and a systems approach to investigating the social consequences of technological development. Research findings. The intellectual origins of transhumanism have been traced, from FM-2030’s futurist manifestos to contemporary concepts of the technological singularity and superintelligence. The analysis shows that digital society creates a distinct socio-technical environment in which transhumanist transformations assume concrete forms and give rise to new social tensions. Three key tensions within the transhumanist project have been identified: between individual freedom of self-improvement and its systemic social consequences; between techno-optimistic predictions and the real risks of humanity losing control over powerful technological systems; and between the pursuit of boundless self-improvement and the threat posed by the erosion of essential human qualities as the foundation of moral and legal equality. It is emphasised that a socio-philosophical understanding of transhumanism requires moving beyond the binary opposition between techno-optimism and technophobia in favour of a balanced, critical, and humanistically oriented approach that combines recognition of the genuine possibilities of technological progress with responsible consideration of its limits and risks.