Call for Chapters: Rethinking Knowledge Production in the Age of Generative AI and Quantum Inference

Editors

Gabriella Punziano, University of Naples Federico II, Italy
Angela Delli Paoli, University of Salerno, Italy
Edmondo Grassi, San Raffaele University of Rome, Italy

Call for Chapters

Proposals Submission Deadline: July 15, 2026
Full Chapters Due: October 28, 2026
Submission Date: October 28, 2026

Introduction

In the post-digital era, the social sciences face an unprecedented transformation in the very foundations of knowledge production. Generative artificial intelligence, quantum-inspired computation, and increasingly opaque platform infrastructures are not simply adding new tools to the researcher’s methodological repertoire—they are altering the epistemic architecture within which inquiry takes place. The boundaries between human and machine intelligence, representation and simulation, empirical data and synthetic output are rapidly blurring, challenging long-standing assumptions about what constitutes evidence, how interpretation functions, and where the locus of analytical authority resides. Building upon a rich interdisciplinary exchange that includes sociology, digital humanities, computer science, cognitive studies, and science and technology studies, the book seeks to consolidate and extend the debates on digital epistemologies, methodological innovation, and the ontological consequences of technological transformation. It aims to offer the research community a structured and forward-looking reflection on how generative and quantum systems are reconfiguring the conditions under which social knowledge is produced, validated, communicated, and governed. The volume is conceived as both a scholarly landmark and a critical guide for navigating the epistemic shifts currently reshaping the landscape of social inquiry.

Objective

The volume addresses one of the most urgent challenges for the social sciences today: the epistemological and methodological reconfiguration of knowledge production under the dual impact of generative artificial intelligence and quantum computation. These technologies reshape the very conditions of inference, representation, and validation, demanding a radical rethinking of the relationship between humans, machines, and the social world. The collection will be structured around three core axes: - Epistemic Transformations Exploring how AI and quantum paradigms disrupt classical models of causality, agency, inference, and representation in social inquiry. This axis investigates the shift from deterministic and interpretive reasoning to probabilistic, synthetic, and entangled forms of epistemic construction. - Methodological Innovations Examining hybrid, data-intensive, and participatory research designs emerging from the convergence of computational and interpretive approaches. Particular attention is given to multimodal content analysis, AI-human collaborative pipelines, quantum-inspired modelling, and mixed-methods practices adapted to volatile digital environments. - Ethical and Political Challenges Discussing accountability, bias, transparency, authorship, and the governance of knowledge production in algorithmic and post-human settings. This axis considers how power asymmetries, data extractivism, and platform logics shape what can be known and by whom. By engaging with contributions from sociology, philosophy of science, digital humanities, computer science, cognitive sciences, anthropology, communication studies, and cultural studies, the book will provide a comprehensive and critical reflection on how social research can adapt and respond to epistemic turbulence. Ultimately, the volume seeks to articulate conceptual tools, methodological frameworks, and ethical guidelines for rethinking social knowledge production in an era where generative and quantum technologies increasingly mediate our access to reality.

Target Audience

This volume is intended for a broad and interdisciplinary audience spanning academia, applied research, industry, and policy sectors. Given the profound epistemic transformations triggered by generative artificial intelligence, quantum-inspired models, and post-digital infrastructures, the book addresses all scholars and professionals engaged in knowledge production, data-intensive inquiry, and methodological innovation. The primary audience includes: Social Sciences and Humanities Researchers in sociology, anthropology, political science, psychology, philosophy, science and technology studies (STS), communication studies, and cultural studies interested in: - epistemic regimes of digital and post-digital knowledge; - methodological redesign for digital research; - AI-assisted social inquiry; - ethical and ontological debates around datafication and automated cognition. Media and Communications Scholars and practitioners focused on: - algorithmic mediation and platform governance, - computational propaganda and misinformation, - AI-generated media, content automation, and synthetic publics. Computer Science and Information Technology Professionals and researchers working on: - AI engineering and explainability; - human–AI interaction; - data science and machine learning for social inquiry; - quantum-inspired computation applied to modelling complex socio-digital systems. Business and Management - Executives, analysts, and consultants dealing with: - organisational knowledge management in AI-enhanced environments; - algorithmic decision-making and automated workflows; - innovation management and strategic foresight under quantum-augmented predictive models. Government and Law - Policy makers, regulators, and legal scholars concerned with: - governance of AI systems; - data protection and ethical oversight; - algorithmic accountability, transparency, and public-sector automation; - implications of AI/quantum technologies for democratic processes. Security and Forensics Experts operating in: - cyber-security, - digital forensics, - risk analysis of algorithmic systems, - adversarial AI and quantum cryptography threats. Education Educators, instructional designers, and researchers focusing on: - AI-driven learning environments; - pedagogical shifts in data literacy; - epistemic transformations in academic knowledge production and scholarly communication. Library and Information Science Professionals engaged in: - information curation and preservation in the era of synthetic data; - digital archiving, metadata systems, and algorithmic retrieval; - challenges of authenticity, provenance, and record integrity in post-digital contexts. Medicine and Healthcare Researchers and practitioners exploring: - AI-supported diagnosis, care models, and clinical decision-making; - ethical and epistemic implications of data-driven health analytics; - modelling uncertainty and probabilistic reasoning in medical AI systems. Life Sciences Scientists and interdisciplinary teams working on: - modelling complex biological or ecological systems using AI and quantum-inspired tools; - cross-domain methodological integration between computational and empirical life-science research. Physical Sciences and Engineering Engineers and applied scientists investigating: - quantum technologies and their epistemic implications; - computational modelling across physical and social domains; - human–machine collaboration in hybrid design environments. Rationale The target audience reflects the cross-cutting nature of contemporary epistemic shifts. The book positions itself as a transversal reference for all communities confronting: - the transformation of inference logics through generative and quantum-augmented models; - the reconfiguration of methodological standards, validity regimes, and interpretive practices; - the ethical, social, organisational, and regulatory implications of AI-driven knowledge ecologies. By spanning disciplinary boundaries, the volume aims to shape a shared conceptual vocabulary and foster interdisciplinary dialogue, ensuring that emerging understandings of post-digital knowledge production benefit from a wide and inclusive conversation across sectors.

Recommended Topics

Contributions will address, but are not limited to, the following areas:
  • Epistemic regimes: generative vs. probabilistic/quantum models of knowledge
  • Transformations in inference, explanation, and validation in AI-augmented contexts
  • Tensions between deterministic, stochastic, and entanglement-based epistemologies
  • How generative and quantum-inspired models reshape the concept of “evidence”
  • Emergence of synthetic epistemologies and computational ontologies
  • Post-demographic reasoning and behaviour-based inference
  • Algorithmic mediation and its theoretical implications for the social sciences
  • Platform epistemology and the infrastructural production of knowledge
  • Bias, hallucination, and opacity in large language models as epistemic distortions
  • Algorithmic economies of visibility, silence, and misrepresentation
  • Automated meaning-making and shifts in interpretive authority
  • Human–machine co-production of social categories, norms, and representations
  • Quantum logics and the post-human condition of inquiry
  • Quantum-inspired reasoning and uncertainty as methodological resources
  • Superposition, non-locality, and entanglement as metaphors or analytical lenses
  • Post-human and more-than-human epistemologies
  • Intersections between quantum decision models and sociological theory
  • Implications for agency, causality, and social complexity modelling
  • Hybrid methodologies combining AI-assisted and human-centered research
  • Integrative frameworks merging computational, qualitative, and interpretive methods
  • Human-in-the-loop research pipelines and iterative validation cycles
  • Multimodal content analysis enhanced by generative AI
  • Prompt engineering as a methodological practice
  • Challenges of traceability, reproducibility, and scalability in hybrid designs
  • Case studies on AI-generated knowledge and interpretive accountability
  • Empirical evaluations of AI-generated texts, images, or simulations
  • Investigations into LLM-driven misinterpretation or semantic drift
  • Synthetic datasets and their implications for empirical research
  • Comparative analyses of human vs. machine-generated outputs
  • Governance and accountability in AI-supported knowledge infrastructures
  • Reflexivity and positionality in post-digital fieldwork
  • Researcher–platform entanglements and the politics of visibility
  • Navigating distorted or partial field access due to algorithmic filtering
  • Methodological reflexivity under conditions of automation
  • Embodied and emotional dimensions of post-digital ethnography
  • Platform governance as field condition
  • Ethics, consent, and algorithmic governance in knowledge production
  • Dynamic consent, data sovereignty, and data donation models
  • Ethical challenges in scraping, sampling, and studying synthetic content
  • Algorithmic auditing, transparency, and governance regimes
  • Power asymmetries between researchers, platforms, and participants
  • Consequences of outsourcing analytical labour to automated agents
  • Data imaginaries, big data, and predictive modeling
  • The sociotechnical imaginaries that shape data production and use
  • Predictive analytics, risk scoring, and behavioural modelling
  • Data colonialism and extractive computational infrastructures
  • Limits of representativeness, generalizability, and ecological validity
  • Post-digital redefinitions of sampling, measurement, and inference
  • Education, policy, and the public understanding of AI-augmented research
  • AI literacy, methodological training, and future skills for researchers
  • Policy frameworks shaping AI use in social inquiry
  • Public perceptions of automated knowledge production
  • Transformations in academic publishing and peer review under AI
  • Institutional adaptation and governance of automated research workflows
  • Visual, multimodal, and interface-based representations of social knowledge
  • Multimodal content analysis (text–image–audio–interaction)
  • AI-assisted visualisation and simulation of social processes
  • Interface studies and the politics of design in knowledge retrieval
  • Diagrammatic, networked, and spatial representations of digital fields
  • Metaverse, XR, and immersive environments as sites of social analysis

Submission Procedure

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before July 15, 2026, a chapter proposal of 1,000 to 2,000 words clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors will be notified by July 29, 2026 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines.Full chapters of a minimum of 10,000 words (word count includes references and related readings) are expected to be submitted by October 28, 2026, and all interested authors must consult the guidelines for manuscript submissions at https://www.igi-global.com/publish/contributor-resources/before-you-write/ prior to submission. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-anonymized review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.

Note: There are no submission or acceptance fees for manuscripts submitted to this book publication, Rethinking Knowledge Production in the Age of Generative AI and Quantum Inference. All manuscripts are accepted based on a double-anonymized peer review editorial process.

All proposals should be submitted through the eEditorial Discovery® online submission manager.

Publisher

This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global Scientific Publishing, an international academic publisher of the "Information Science Reference," "Medical Information Science Reference," "Business Science Reference," and "Engineering Science Reference" imprints. IGI Global Scientific Publishing specializes in publishing reference books, scholarly journals, and electronic databases featuring academic research on a variety of innovative topic areas including, but not limited to, education, social science, medicine and healthcare, business and management, information science and technology, engineering, public administration, library and information science, media and communication studies, and environmental science. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit https://www.igi-global.com. This publication is anticipated to be released in 2026.

Indexing Information for Prospective Authors

IGI Global Scientific Publishing meets the criteria for inclusion in major indexing services such as Scopus; however, it is important to note that all indexing decisions are made independently by these services. IGI Global Scientific Publishing books are selectively indexed by the indexing organization after publication. Indexing cannot be guaranteed for any book prior to publication, and the indexing organization has complete control over the final selection and timeline.

Important Dates

July 15, 2026: Proposal Submission Deadline
July 29, 2026: Notification of Acceptance
October 28, 2026: Full Chapter Submission
December 30, 2026: Review Results Returned
February 10, 2027: Final Acceptance Notification
February 24, 2027: Final Chapter Submission

Inquiries

Gabriella Punziano University of Naples Federico II gabriella.punziano@unina.it Angela Delli Paoli University of Salerno adellipaoli@unisa.it Edmondo Grassi San Raffaele University of Rome edmondo.grassi@uniroma5.it
Back to Call for Papers List