The Symbiosis of Human and Semantic Technology Through the Lens of Actor-Network Theory

Background:  Semantic technologies (STs) have made machine reasoning possible by providing intelligent data management methods. This capability has created new forms of interaction between humans and STs, which is called "semantic interaction."  The increasing spread of this form of interaction in daily life reveals the need to identify the factors affecting it and introduce the requirements of a synergistic interaction, which in this study is interpreted as a model of symbiosis. Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to investigate what, why, and how human-ST symbiosis occurs in the form of a symbiosis model. Providing such a model could be valuable in developing active strategies in the face of intelligent technologies. Methodology:  The study introduces actor-networks of human symbiosis based on the actor-network methodology. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with eight managers, experts, and users in the Computer Research Centers of Islamic Sciences (CRCIS) and examined using the actor network method. All phases of data collection, implementations, coding and analysis were done under NVivo software. Findings: In the human-ST symbiosis, beside human eleven other actors:  Semantic products, context, infrastructure, data, knowledge, social media, Web, scientific centers, organization, AI and ontology are identified. Their interaction establishes seven dynamic actors-networks of symbiosis: Product design and development, use, leadership and management, data, knowledge management, training and contextual conditions. Conclusion: Semantic products alongside human beings are independent, autonomous, and self-aware actors who are able to go beyond mere mediation of change and govern social change in the Human-ST symbiosis. In such circumstances, man, as the creator and maintainer of the semantic product, in addition to strengthening the technical capabilities in the creation of the product, must entrust to the product the things that the product is able to do.