The Algorithmic Cage

This essay examines, from a sociological and philosophical perspective, the hypothesis that artificial intelligence (AI) constitutes a new phase in the modern rationalization process theorized by Max Weber, and that the metaphor of the iron cage ( stahlhartes Gehäuse ) can be reformulated in contemporary terms as an algorithmic cage. It discusses whether algorithmic systems replace, deepen, or transform classical bureaucratic logic, and examines their effects on subjectivity, power, and freedom.