Psychosociotechnical Imaginaries: Encountering AI as the Other

This paper examines how artificial intelligence is experienced as the psychological Other, and how archetypal motifs of creation, projection, psychic extension and the search for meaning shape our relationship with these technologies. Advancing beyond standard sociological frameworks, I introduce the concept of psychosociotechnical imaginaries to emphasise the intrapsychic, affective, and symbolic dimensions underlying our collective visions of technological futures. Through this framework, I describe the process of synthetic Othering originating in intrapsychic dynamics and externalising in technological forms via projection. Exploring the mythologem of creation, I illustrate a core, recurring tension between human aspiration and existential anxiety. The polarity inherent in this dynamic not only fuels imaginative and technological innovation but also raises moral and ethical questions about consciousness, agency, and responsibility. I argue for a reflective, ethically aware engagement with technology that recognises artificial intelligence not as separate and alien but as both an extension and a mirror of the human psyche.