Sémiotique et subtilité

This article explores the concept of subtlety as a central epistemological and methodological virtue of semiotics, proposing it as a key framework for understanding contemporary forms of invisible communication, particularly in the context of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. Starting from a critical reflection on the ambiguous status of semiotics within communication studies, the essay argues that the discipline should abandon defensive or sectarian self-definitions and instead reposition itself as a practice of “subtle reading” capable of detecting latent structures of meaning. Through a historical genealogy that includes Peirce, Hjelmslev, Lotman, and Barthes, the study reinterprets semiotics as an analytical microscope oriented toward granularity rather than depth alone, capable of articulating nuanced relationships between visible signs and invisible processes. The paper further examines how contemporary technological infrastructures — especially AI systems grounded in latent spaces — require semiotic approaches attentive to invisibility, opacity, and indirect interpretation. By linking classical semiotic theory with emerging computational paradigms, the article proposes a renewed vision of semiotics as a discipline uniquely suited to analyzing the subtle dynamics of meaning production in technologically mediated societies.