Embodied Urbanism: A Bodily Phenomenology in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

This paper explores the evolution of the phenomenology of the human body and its “bodily and intercorporeal subjectivity” within the “implemented urban space,” focusing on the intricate relationship between corporeality and artificial intelligence (AI). Grounded in the concept of humans as “constructors of reality,” it frames physical space as a system of “structured facts,” distinguishing between tangible (constructed) realities and intangible (digital infrastructures) that support and mediate them. The study highlights the body’s role in shaping knowledge and experience through perceptual, sensory, and cognitive interactions with its environment, emphasising how urban space is experienced through an embodied perspective. Drawing on phenomenological sciences, the research examines the active and constructive nature of bodily engagement with space, from basic movements to the spatiotemporal dimensions of spatial experience. It investigates how exponential technologies, particularly AI, contribute to this process, leading to a reconfiguration of spatial and temporal perception. The study proposes
a model in which the body’s experience of space is re-mapped through a contemporary lens, integrating digital augmentation and algorithmic mediation. Through theoretical analysis and an exploration of technological innovations, the study reveals that AI functions as a “super-prosthesis,” extending the body into the digital realm and reshaping spatial perception, navigation, and memory through real-time data, predictive algorithms, and dynamic urban interfaces. The concept of "implemented spatiotemporal corporeality” emerges as a critical framework, illustrating how digital flows reconfigure time, space, and movement in hybrid urban environments. The study concludes that the traditional concept of the “city” is no longer adequate, replaced by an expanded, co-created ecosystem where human bodies, technology, and spatial dynamics merge into a fluid and evolving entity. This transformation redefines proximity, memory, and interaction, challenging conventional spatial paradigms and offering new ways to experience increasingly interconnected “exponential” urban spaces.
Keywords
Phenomenology of the body, urban and digital space, artificial intelligence (AI), implemented spatiotemporal corporeality, hybrid ecosystem