You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
The problem of authenticity arising from artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithms has raised ethical concerns, including the possible misalignment with morality. This theoretical article explores the multiple uses of AI and the notions of authenticity and true and false selves in D. W. Winnicott. From a Winnicottian perspective, forming a unitary self is a complex acquisition, which is constructed in the relational matrix throughout the life cycle. By promoting critical analysis, the present paper explores Winnicottian contributions for clinicians in questioning the consequences of AI and chatbots for the authenticity/inauthenticity in the spheres of the self and relationships. Winnicott’s model of mind implies relationality and processes of coming into being, with the central role of the other and the body in the creation of a personal and authentic self in the interactions with human and nonhuman environments. I also propose a few reflections on the interactions of children and young people with chatbots and AI tools mediated by algorithms. Winnicottian notions on authentic living can be a critical discourse on market ideology, yet it is not supposed to promote a technophobic reaction, since it can explore both the risks and creative potentialities of a more communal ethos and alignment with morality today.