The Sage Handbook of Human–Machine Communication

Exploring Human-Machine Interaction, AI, and Communication in Society

SLAGSJ+1

Created by Sage Publishing Limited, Andrea L. Guzman, Steve Jones and 1 more

Gain a comprehensive understanding of how humans and machines communicate, from foundational theories to real-world applications. Explore the evolution of human-machine interaction, the role of AI, and the ethical and social implications of these technologies.

Sage Publishing | May 2026 | 640 min

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LevelIntermediate

CategoriesTech Powered Professional, Communication and Interpersonal Skills

1Machines are Us: An Excursion in the History of HMC
2The Interdisciplinarity of HMC: Rethinking Communication, Media, and Agency
3Cybernetics and Information Theory in Human–Machine Communication
4Cyborgs and Human–Machine Communication Configurations
5The Meaning and Agency of Twenty-First-Century AI
6The History and Future of Human–Robot Communication
7From CASA to TIME: Machine as a Source of Media Effects
8Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) and Human–Machine Communication (HMC)
9HMC and HCI: Cognates on a Journey
10Developing a Theory of Artificial Minds (ToAM) to Facilitate Meaningful Human–AI Communication
11HMC and Theories of Human–Technology Relations
12Philosophical Contexts and Consequences of Human–Machine Communication
13Critical and Cultural Approaches to Human–Machine Communication
14Gender and Identity in Human–Machine Communication
15Literature and HMC: Poetry and/as the Machine
16Human–Machine Communities: How Online Computer Games Model the Future
17Perfect Incommunicability: War and the Strategic Paradox of Human–Machine Communication
18Human–Robot Interaction
19Auditing Human–Machine Communication Systems Using Simulated Humans
20Experiments in Human–Machine Communication Research
21Detecting the States of our Minds: Developments in Physiological and Cognitive Measures
22Human Shoppers, AI Cashiers, and Cloud-computing Others: Methodological Approaches for Machine Surveillance in Commercial Retail Environments
23Visual Research Methods in Human–Machine Communications
24Observing Communication with Machines
25Coding Ethnography: Human–Machine Communication in Collaborative Software Development
26An Ethnography for Studying HMC: What can we Learn from Observing How Humans Communicate with Machines?
27Talking about “Talking with Machines”: Interview as Method within HMC
28Feminist, Postcolonial, and Crip Approaches to Human–Machine Communication Methodology
29A Research Ethics for Human–Machine Communication: A First Sketch
30Rethinking Affordances for Human–Machine Communication Research
31Affect Research in Human–Machine Communication: The Case of Social Robots
32Social Presence in Human–Machine Communication
33Interpersonal Interactions Between People and Machines
34Dual-Process Theory in Human–Machine Communication
35Privacy and Human–Machine Communication
36Natural Language Processing
37Datafication in Human–Machine Communication Between Representation and Preferences: An Experiment of Non-binary Gender Representation in Voice-controlled Assistants
38Human–Machine Communication and the Domestication Approach
39Intersectionality and Human–Machine Communication
40Human–Machine Communication, Artificial Intelligence, and Issues of Data Colonialism
41A Feminist Human–Machine Communication Framework: Collectivizing by Design for Inclusive Work Futures
42Dishuman–Machine Communication: Disability Imperatives for Reimagining Norms in Emerging Technology
43Robotic Art – The Aesthetics of Machine Communication
44Labor, Automation, and Human–Machine Communication
45The Brain Center Beneath the Interface: Grounding HMC in Infrastructure, Information, and Labor
46AI, Human–Machine Communication and Deception
47Governing the Social Dimensions of Collaborative Robotic Design: Influence, Manipulation and Other Non-Physical Harms
48Who's Liable?: Agency and Accountability in Human–Machine Communication
49The Popular Cultural Origin of Communicating Robots in Japan
50Human Social Relationships with Robots
51Algorithms as a Form of Human–Machine Communication
52Bot-To-Bot Communication: Relationships, Infrastructure, and Identity
53Communicating with Conversational Assistants: Uses, Contexts, and Effects
54Conceptualizing Empathic Child–Robot Communication
55Haptics, Human Augmentics, and Human–Machine Communication
56HMC in Love, Sex and Robots
57Virtual Reality as Human–Machine Communication
58HMC in the Educational Context
59Human–Machine Communication in Healthcare
60Why Human–Machine Communication Matters for the Study of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism
61Human–Machine Communication in Marketing and Advertising
62Human–Machine Communication in Retail
63Autonomous Vehicles: Where Automation Ends and the Communication Begins
64HMC in Space Operations
65Religious Human–Machine Communication: Practices, Power, and Prospects

What You Will Learn

You will build knowledge step by step, starting with the origins of human-machine communication and moving into current research methods and practical applications. Along the way, you will explore ethical questions and cultural perspectives, helping you connect theory to real-world challenges and opportunities.

Key Features

Examine the history and future trends shaping human-machine communication
Analyze ethical, social, and cultural issues in AI and machine interaction
Apply concepts to real-world scenarios in healthcare, education, and more

Target Audience

Designed for researchers, students, and professionals in communication, AI, robotics, or ethics. If you have a basic understanding of communication theories and technology and want to deepen your insight into how humans and machines interact, you will find practical value and critical perspectives here.

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