Intelligenze artificiali e mondi immersivi: nuovi paradigmi per le Digital Humanities

This article explores the epistemological and methodological implications of introducing new technologies – generative artificial intelligence (AI) and immersive technologies (augmented, mixed and virtual reality) – in the context of digital humanities. The first part analyses immersive technologies, highlighting their potential to create multisensory and interactive experiences that redefine the notion of narrative immersion traditionally associated with literature. The theoretical relationship between textual and digital immersion is discussed with reference to different approaches to literary theory. The second part examines generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs), describing their technical architecture, operational mechanisms and emerging capabilities. The article critically addresses the theoretical debate about the actual cognitive capabilities of LLMs, examining both deflationist and possibilist positions, and proposes how LLMs can be considered representative models of cultural systems through Lotman’s concept of the ‘semiosphere’. Finally, the article explores future perspectives arising from the convergence of immersive technologies and generative AI, including the automated production of multimedia content (inverse ekphrasis, video generation, world models). The article concludes by emphasising the need for a rigorous and open interdisciplinary approach capable of fully exploiting the innovative potential of these technologies in contemporary humanistic research.