Multidisciplinary Movements in AI and Generative AI: Shaping Technology for Society, Business, and Education

By Anna Visvizi, Krzysztof Kozłowski, Igor Calzada, and Orlando Troisi

AI and GenAI are among the most disruptive technologies of our time. Their rapid diffusion into society, business, and education is forcing us to confront urgent questions: AI for whom? AI for what?

The new edited volume, Multidisciplinary Movements in AI and Generative AI (Edward Elgar, 2025), seeks to address these questions by bringing together diverse disciplinary perspectives and empirical cases. We believe that only a truly multidisciplinary approach can capture the complex realities of how AI and GenAI are reshaping our lives.

At the heart of this volume lies the conviction that no single discipline can adequately grasp the scope of AI and GenAI’s impact. Computer scientists may illuminate the technical logics of machine learning, but without insights from politics, (political) economy, applied economics, sociology, law, education, philosophy, and management, we risk missing how these technologies interact with power, values, and everyday life. This is why the book emphasizes multidisciplinary movements: it brings together diverse voices not simply to juxtapose perspectives, but to build a dialogue where each discipline challenges and enriches the others. In doing so, the volume demonstrates that understanding AI requires more than technical expertise — it requires integrating social sciences and humanities with innovation studies and practice-based knowledge to envision governance frameworks that are ethical, inclusive, and grounded in democratic principles.

Why This Book, Why Now?

The conversation about AI is often dominated by a hype, i.e.  promises of efficiency, creativity, as well as fear of disruption, including dystopian fears of automation, misinformation, and erosion of democracy. Yet, between these extremes lies the lived reality: universities grappling with AI in teaching and research, businesses navigating productivity gains alongside ethical dilemmas, and governments facing the challenge of designing governance frameworks that protect citizens while encouraging innovation.

By engaging contributions from applied economics, political science, management, education, and data ethics, the book provides a 360-degree view of AI’s promises and pitfalls. From European classrooms in Warsaw or Bilbao to digital governance in Cabo Delgado (Mozambique), and from business ecosystems in Italy to Web3 decentralization debates in Toronto and Silicon Valley (in Canada or the US), this volume documents how GenAI is transforming practices across global geographies and governance practices.

Key Contributions

• Governance and Democracy: Chapters explore how AI intersects with democratic integrity, transparency, and accountability. Issues such as disinformation, misinformation, and the trust crisis in decentralized Web3 ecosystems are tackled through new detection techniques and governance models.
• Education: Universities are at the frontlines of the GenAI wave. Our contributors show both the disruptive effects of AI on learning and the opportunities for embedding it responsibly in pedagogy and research.
• Business and Innovation: Case studies shed light on how companies deploy AI for growth and resilience, while also facing ethical risks and regulatory uncertainty in healthcare systems.
• Global Perspective: The volume bridges debates in the Global North and South, offering comparative insights into how context shapes the opportunities and threats of AI adoption.

From Critique to Action

This book is not only diagnostic; it is also prescriptive. It argues that ethical frameworks, transdisciplinary dialogue, and decentralized models of governance are essential to ensure AI serves societal well-being rather than deepening inequalities. Contributors propose concrete methods — from blockchain-based provenance tracking to federated learning — that can help safeguard democracy and rebuild trust in digital ecosystems.

Why It Matters

By cutting across disciplines, Multidisciplinary Movements in AI and Generative AI speaks to academics, policymakers, and practitioners alike. It is not a textbook, yet it is highly suitable for teaching modules on contemporary issues in applied economics, political economy, business, and digital governance. It will also be of interest to professional associations, conferences, and networks working at the intersection of technology and society.

Above all, the book encourages readers to join a conversation that will shape the future: How do we ensure AI innovation aligns with democratic values, social inclusion, and global sustainability?

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This article was written by Anna Visvizi, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Poland and Effat University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Krzysztof Kozłowski, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Poland, Igor Calzada, University of the Basque Country/Basque Foundation for Science, Spain and Cardiff University/WISERD, UK and Orlando Troisi, University of Salerno, Italy.