Arguments
Intelligence
Consciousness
Empathy
Creativity
The philosophy of artificial intelligence is a branch of the philosophy of technology that explores artificial intelligence and its implications for knowledge and understanding of intelligence, ethics, consciousness, epistemology, and free will. Furthermore, the technology is concerned with the creation of artificial animals or artificial people so the discipline is of considerable interest to philosophers. These factors contributed to the emergence of the philosophy of artificial intelligence. Some scholars argue that the AI community's dismissal of philosophy is detrimental, hence this website will be exploring the role of philosophy in artificial intelligence. Philosophically, the main AI question is “Can there be such?” or, as Alan Turing put it, “Can a machine think?” What makes this a philosophical and not just a scientific and technical question is the scientific recalcitrance of the concept of intelligence or thought and its moral, religious, and legal significance. In European and other traditions, moral and legal standing depend not just on what is outwardly done but also on inward states of mind. Only rational individuals have standing as moral agents and status as moral patients subject to certain harms, such as being betrayed. Only sentient individuals are subject to certain other harms, such as pain and suffering. Since computers give every outward appearance of performing intellectual tasks, the question arises: “Are they really thinking?” And if they are really thinking, are they not, then, owed similar rights to rational human beings? This website explores the discussions around artificial intelligence and what capabilities it has. From topics such as "can AI display actual intelligence?" to "can AI be capable of benevolence or hostility?" the roles AI can play and its philosophical implications are considered.
Theory of Mind is a term from psychology about an individual's capacity for empathy and understanding of others. This is an awareness of others being like yourself, with individual needs and intentions. One of the abilities language users have, is to communicate about things that are not concrete, like needs, ideas, or concepts. In psychology, "Theory of Mind" means that people have thoughts, feelings and emotions that affect their behavior. Future AI systems must learn to understand that everyone (both people and AI objects) have thoughts and feelings. Future AI systems must know how to adjust their behavior to be able to walk among us. The last step, before AI can be human, is machine consciousness. Philosophically, the main AI question is “Can there be such?” or, as Alan Turing put it, “Can a machine think?” What makes this a philosophical and not just a scientific and technical question is the scientific recalcitrance of the concept of intelligence or thought and its moral, religious, and legal significance. In European and other traditions, moral and legal standing depend not just on what is outwardly done but also on inward states of mind. Only rational individuals have standing as moral agents and status as moral patients subject to certain harms, such as being betrayed. Only sentient individuals are subject to certain other harms, such as pain and suffering. Since computers give every outward appearance of performing intellectual tasks, the question arises: “Are they really thinking?” And if they are really thinking, are they not, then, owed similar rights to rational human beings?