Abstract. The rise of ChatGPT has fundamentally transformed the dynamics of human-technology interaction, particularly as Large Language Model (LLM) applications increasingly emulate the nuances of intuitive social communication among humans. Nonetheless, this poses a significant challenge to the concept of materiality within Postphenomenology, given that ChatGPT operates on the same digital devices that have been prevalent for years. This paper undertakes a re-evaluation of some of Don Ihde’s postphenomenological concepts, introducing the notion of quasi-materiality to better understand the intricacies of user interfaces (UIs). We propose the concept of an active User Interface (aUI) to underscore its role in facilitating a new generation of interfaces, allowing for seamless, human-like conversations with ChatGPT as a quasi-other. Drawing inspiration from Peter-Paul Verbeek's work on the intelligentification of (AI) technologies, our analysis leads to the formulation of a novel stability: machinic embodiment stability. This concept sheds light on how ChatGPT's affordances integrate with our ingrained habits of digitally mediated social communication, providing a new perspective on the multistability inherent in this evolving technological landscape.

Bio. Selin Gerlek is an assistant professor in the philosophy of technology and politics at the University of Amsterdam. Her research focuses on digital citizenship and transformative processes in human-technology relations, and can be situated in the traditions of (post)-phenomenology, science and technology studies, and pragmatism.