Philosophy of AI

Since its mid-twentieth-century inception, artificial intelligence (AI) has always been a profoundly interdisciplinary area of research. Among the disciplines involved, philosophy has contributed significantly to the development of the field. Traditionally, this contribution has concerned more directly work in cognitive science. This has however now changed: artificial intelligence is today underpinning many contemporary experiences and is increasingly becoming a research focus and topic for a wider set of philosophical agendas, like those of political theory, aesthetics, ethics, etc.

These philosophical aspects of AI research share concepts and frameworks of analysis with various humanities areas. The philosophical study of AI addresses the cognitive capabilities of computational agents but also situates them alongside enduring humanities questions such as those pertaining to the possibility of knowledge production, to the relation between thought and reality and to the distinction between the natural and the artificial. 

The ‘Philosophy of AI’ priority area at the Sussex Humanities Lab aims to build and sustain productive occasions for interaction, collaboration and exchange among those who are thinking about thinking machines within and beyond the University of Sussex. It will bring together researchers who are developing philosophical inquiries into automation, AI and computational culture; the establishment of this priority area is predicated on the reflection that such philosophical inquiries are fundamental efforts to understand key aspects of the world and of ourselves. This priority area is an exciting opportunity to foster AI research at the University of Sussex and expand it to involve the humanities as crucial partner in the construction of sustainable technological futures. 

 

If you are interested and would like to contribute please contact Dr Beatrice Fazi  b.fazi@sussex.ac.uk 

 

Contact

Sussex Humanities Lab, SILVERSTONE SB211, Arts Road, Falmer, East Sussex, BN1 9RG

email: shl@sussex.ac.uk