The Philosophy of AI Technology
AI is changing the world at unprecedented speed. Those who build it push its boundaries every day, while society swings between excitement and unease: will AI replace us? Will it become conscious? Where will it take humanity? Technology alone cannot answer these questions, because they ask not what AI can do, but what AI is.
This series examines AI technology from the standpoint of philosophy. It is written for people who work in the AI industry, for researchers and decision-makers, and for everyone who cares about where AI is heading. We ask about the nature of AI: how does the “understanding” of a large model differ from human understanding? Where are the boundaries between computation and thought, pattern and concept, data and experience? We also face the limits of AI squarely. Its abilities come from the accumulated work of the human spirit, and its power rests on human creation. Only by seeing clearly what it cannot do can we make the most of what it can.
The relationship between AI and people is neither that of a mere tool and its user, nor one of replacement. It is the human spirit coming to know and extend itself in its own creation. We will also discuss the impact of AI on work, education, creativity, the economy and the structure of society, and ask where human worth and dignity lie in the age of AI. Only by understanding what AI is can we set the course of this transformation instead of being swept along by it.