AI and the Structural Autonomy of Sense: When Meaning No Longer Refers

Posted on May 28, 2025

What happens when representations no longer need to refer to anything real to shape reality?

In this article, Agustin V. Startari introduces the theory of Structural Autonomy of Sense—a groundbreaking framework for understanding how certain AI-driven representations produce real-world effects without any empirical reference. These post-referential operative representations derive legitimacy not from truth or consensus, but from structural coherence and system operability.

From credit scoring to medical diagnostics, from justice algorithms to synthetic media, the paper explores how this new form of representation operates with epistemic and institutional authority—without invoking meaning, authorship, or referential validity.

This work marks a turning point in the philosophy of AI, proposing a model of legitimacy based on syntax, execution, and autonomy—not on belief or verification.

Post-referential operative representations

Read the full article:AI and the Structural Autonomy of Sense – Zenodo

Post-referential operative representations