The Humanistic Soul of Artificial Intelligence: Between Creative Imagination and Simulated Subjectivity

The age-old history of imagination and the gradual discovery of interiority – also mediated through humanity’s relationship with the sacred – have played a fundamental role in conceiving artificial intelligence as a form of simulated subjectivity. At the same time, its concrete construction is rooted in the ancient synergy of intellect, sensory perception, and manual skill that defines human artistic and technological ingenuity. Programming AI by enhancing the hidden creativity of mathematical language may enable us to make our human experience more transparent and to develop profound reflections on the uniqueness of our nature, thereby deepening our awareness of it. Finally, the creation of a digital avatar of the Latin poet Virgil offers a valuable point of departure for comparing the ideal of immortality achieved through poetry with the controversial aspiration to eternity pursued through technology.