How do digital communication spaces change our society? Why does the image of a split into two camps fall short? And what happens to organisations when AI is no longer just a tool, but becomes an actor itself?

Ahead of the CNO Panel, Pascal Sieber spoke with Marc Leuzinger about the theory of the Digital Society that Marc developed together with Sarah Nünlist. The conversation moves from the fragmentation of the public sphere through the identity of organisations to the strategic questions they face in the age of AI.

Polarisation as an observation artefact

One of the sharpest theses of the conversation concerns societal polarisation. From the theory's point of view, society does not permanently divide into two opposing camps.

In the digital space, new communication spaces form continuously. Each of these spaces develops its own horizons of meaning, values and notions of what is right or wrong. People move through several of these spaces at once and, depending on the topic, activate different values.

«Polarisation is therefore constantly taking place, but it does not divide society into two halves. It divides and re-orders itself again and again, and the whole thing is extremely dynamic.»

Micro-morality helps people orient themselves within this diversity. It shows where belonging and connection are possible and where exclusion threatens. This morality, however, is not uniform across society. It remains situational, fragmented and multidimensional.

What this dynamic means for organisations

For organisations, this makes it harder to address a supposedly shared public. Offerings, messages or decisions meet different communication spaces, each following its own horizons of meaning and values.

To create impact, organisations must understand in which spaces they can credibly participate and what contribution they make to those spaces' meaning.

At the same time, these societal dynamics reach into the organisation. Employees bring different affiliations, values and ideas with them. When strongly moralised horizons of meaning collide, this can hamper collaboration and impair the organisation's ability to act.

AI becomes an actor in the system

AI agents add another dynamic. In organisations, AI is often regarded as a technology or a tool. But as soon as agents trigger communication, prepare decisions or make decisions themselves, they take part in what happens in the organisation.

«AI is not simply a technology; it becomes an actor in the system.»

AI therefore potentially affects every part of the organisation: its structure, its offerings, its culture, its collaboration and its communication both internally and externally.

The decisive strategic question is therefore not only where AI can be deployed. Organisations must equally examine how its use affects their own dynamics and identity.

In the full interview, Pascal Sieber and Marc Leuzinger talk about complex systems, micro-morality, organisational identity and the role of AI in the organisation of the future.