New publication by Massimo Leone: "Semiotechne. Ingegnerie del senso facciale"

‘Semiotechne. Ingegnerie del senso facciale’ is a collective academic work edited by Massimo Leone and Giovanni Pennisi, published in October 2026 by the Italian publishing house Aracne Editrice as part of the ‘I saggi di Lexia’ series.

This volume is the outcome of research conducted during the annual Philosophy of Communication seminar organised by the Turin School of Semiotics. It is directly linked to the international research project FACETS (Face Aesthetics in Contemporary E-Technological Societies), which is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and led by Massimo Leone.


Examining the transformation of the human face in the age of digital technologies, this edited volume covers topics such as facial recognition and analysis, artificial intelligence, algorithmic physiognomy, synthetic images, clinical applications, and new forms of technical identity construction.
The book was finalised during Massimo Leone’s residency at the Collegium as part of the European FIAS programme. This research stay is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA COFUND GA-101217263).

Massimo Leone is a professor of the philosophy of communication at the University of Turin. His research focuses on semiotics, religion, and digital cultures, particularly AI and the media.


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