Graduation Year

2026

Date of Submission

4-2026

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Intercollegiate Media Studies

Reader 1

James Morrison

Reader 2

Jennifer Friedlander

Abstract

ChatGPT is a modern technological advancement widely used in academia, the corporate world, the entertainment industry, and other disciplines. Its creators have uploaded an enormous amount of data that allows it to mimic human patterns and reasoning. As a result, the output we see from the algorithm strikingly resembles humanness, in a terrifying way. In this thesis, I explore the theory of the uncanny double from its historical origins to its contemporary forms and argue that ChatGPT operates as the modern uncanny double. While ChatGPT seemingly operates as a tool to aid humans, it ultimately threatens the subjectivity, autonomy, and imperfectness that make us human. Drawing on historical and contemporary theorists, I argue that when we rely on ChatGPT, we encounter the dangerous double of ourselves who mimics human thought without a subject behind us, effectively destabilizing our understanding of humanness. I posit that ChatGPT reflects and automates the self through patterns and codes in the algorithm without a subject behind it. Understanding how ChatGPT functions and alters human subjectivity warns readers of its threats and makes them aware of what is really happening to our minds and to our humanity when using the software. This paper examines the dangerous implications of using ChatGPT through a psychoanalytical and media studies lens.

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This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

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