Philosophical Disquisitions
Things hid and barr'd from common sense
110 - Can we pause AI Development? Evidence from the history of technological restraint
6 Jun 2023
In this episode, I chat to Matthijs Maas about pausing AI development. Matthijs is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Legal Priorities Project and a Research Affiliate at the Centre for the
109 - How Can We Align Language Models like GPT with Human Values?
30 May 2023
In this episode of the podcast I chat to Atoosa Kasirzadeh. Atoosa is an Assistant Professor/Chancellor's fellow at the University of Edinburgh. She is also the Director of Research at the Centre for
108 - Miles Brundage (Head of Policy Research at Open AI) on the speed of AI development and the risks and opportunities of GPT
3 May 2023
[UPDATED WITH CORRECT EPISODE LINK] In this episode I chat to Miles Brundage. Miles leads the policy research team at Open AI. Unsurprisingly, we talk a lot about GPT and generative AI. Our
107 - Will Large Language Models disrupt healthcare?
19 Apr 2023
In this episode of the podcast I chat to Jess Morley. Jess is currently a DPhil candidate at the Oxford Internet Institute. Her research focuses on the use of data in healthcare, oftentimes on the
106 - Why GPT and other LLMs (probably) aren't sentient
11 Apr 2023
In this episode, I chat to Robert Long about AI sentience. Robert is a philosopher that works on issues related to the philosopy of mind, cognitive science and AI ethics. He is currently a philosophy
105 - GPT: Higher Education's Jurassic Park Moment?
2 Apr 2023
In this episode of the podcast, I talk to Thore Husfeldt
104 - What will be the economic impact of GPT?
28 Mar 2023
In this episode of the podcast, I chat to Anton Korinek about the economic impacts of GPT. Anton is a Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia and the Economics Lead at the Centre for AI
103 - GPT: How worried should we be?
23 Mar 2023
In this episode of the podcast, I chat to Olle Häggström. Olle is a professor of mathematical statistics at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. We talk about GPT and LLMs more generally.
102 - Fictional Dualism and Social Robots
16 Dec 2022
How should we conceive of social robots? Some sceptics think they are little more than tools and should be treated as such. Some are more bullish on their potential to attain full moral status. Is
101 - Pistols, Pills, Pork and Ploughs: How Technology Changes Morality
28 Nov 2022
It's clear that human social morality has gone through significant changes in the past. But why? What caused these changes? In this episode, I chat to Jeroen Hopster
100 - The Past and Future of Transhumanism
22 Nov 2022
In this episode (which by happenstance is the 100th official episode - although I have released more than that) I chat to Elise Bohan. Elise is a senior research scholar at the Future of Humanity
99 - Trusting Untrustworthy Machines and Other Psychological Quirks
7 Nov 2022
In this episode I chat to Matthias Uhl. Matthias is a professor of the social and ethical implications of AI at the Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt. Matthias is a behavioural scientist that has been
Ethics of Academia (12) - Olle Häggström
20 Sep 2022
In this episode (the last in this series for the time being) I chat to Olle Häggström. Olle is a professor of mathematical statistics at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. Having spent
Ethics of Academia (11) - Jessica Flanigan
13 Sep 2022
In this episode I chat to Jessica Flanigan (https://sites.google.com/site/jessicamflanigan/). Jessica is a Professor of Leadership Ethics at the University of Richmond, where she is also the Richard
Ethics of Academia (10) - Jesse Stommel
6 Sep 2022
Is grading unethical? Coercive and competitive? Should we replace grading with something else? In this podcast I chat to Jesse Stommel, (https://www.jessestommel.com/bio/)one of the foremost
Ethics of Academia (9) - Jason Brennan
26 Aug 2022
In this episode I talk to Jason Brennan (https://philpeople.org/profiles/jason-brennan). Jason is a Professor of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy at the McDonough School of Business
Ethics of Academia (8) - Zena Hitz
17 Aug 2022
In this episode I chat to Zena Hitz (https://zenahitz.net). Zena is currently a tutor at St John's College. She is a classicist and author of the book Lost in Thought (https://zenahitz.net). We have
Ethics of Academia (7) - Aaron Rabinowitz
25 Jul 2022
In this episode I chat to Aaron Rabinowitz (https://twitter.com/ETVPod). Aaron is a veteran podcaster and philosopher. He hosts the Embrace the Void (https://voidpod.com/podcasts) and Philosophers in
Ethics of Academia (6) - Helen de Cruz
20 Jul 2022
In this episode I chat to Helen de Cruz (https://helendecruz.net). Helen is the Danforth Chair in Humanities at the University of St. Louis. Helen has a diverse set of interests and outputs. Her
Ethics of Academia (5) - Brian Earp
12 Jul 2022
In this episode I chat to Brian Earp. Brian is a Senior Research Fellow with the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics in Oxford. He is a prolific researcher and writer in psychology and applied ethics.
Ethics of Academia (4) - Justin Weinberg
5 Jul 2022
In this episode of the Ethics of Academia, I chat to Justin Weinberg, Associate Professor of Philosophy at University of South Carolina. Justin researches ethical and social philosophy, as well as
Ethics of Academia (3) - Regina Rini
28 Jun 2022
In this episode I talk to Regina Rini, Canada Research Chair at York University in Toronto. Regina has a background in neuroscience and cognitive science but now works primarily in moral philosophy.
Ethics of Academia (2) with Michael Cholbi
20 Jun 2022
This is the second episode in my short series on The Ethics of Academia. In this episode I chat to Michael Cholbi, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. We reflect on the value of
The Ethics of Academia Podcast (Episode 1 with Sven Nyholm)
15 Jun 2022
I have been reflecting on the ethics of academic life for some time. I've written several articles about it over the years. These have focused on the ethics of grading
98 - The Psychology of Human-Robot Interactions
9 Jun 2022
How easily do we anthropomorphise robots? Do we see them as moral agents or, even, moral patients? Can we dehumanise them? These are some of the questions addressed in this episode with my guests,
97 - The Perils of Predictive Policing (& Automated Decision-Making)
5 Apr 2022
One particularly important social institution is the police force, who are increasingly using technological tools to help efficiently and effectively deploy policing resources. I’ve covered
96 - How Does Technology Mediate Our Morals?
1 Dec 2021
It is common to think that technology is morally neutral. “Guns don’t kill people; people kill people’ - as the typical gun lobby argument goes. But is this really the right way to think about
95 - The Psychology of the Moral Circle
9 Nov 2021
I was raised in the tradition of believing that everyone is of equal moral worth. But when I scrutinise my daily practices, I don’t think I can honestly say that I act as if everyone is of equal
94 - Robot Friendship and Hatred
1 Nov 2021
Can we move beyond the Aristotelian account of friendship when thinking about our relationships with robots? Can we hate robots? In this episode, I talk to Helen Ryland about these topics. Helen is a
93 - Will machines impede moral progress?
19 Jul 2021
Thomas Sinclair (left), Ben Kenward (right) Lots of people are worried about the ethics of AI. One particular area of concern is whether we should program machines to follow existing normative/moral
92 - The Ethics of Virtual Worlds
9 Jul 2021
Are virtual worlds free from the ethical rules of ordinary life? Do they generate their own ethical codes? How do gamers and game designers address these issues? These are the questions that I
91 - Rights for Robots, Animals and Nature?
30 Jun 2021
Should robots have rights? How about chimpanzees? Or rivers? Many people ask these questions individually, but few people have asked them all together at the same time. In this episode, I talk to a
90 - The Future of Identity
28 Apr 2021
What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be you? Philosophers, psychologists and sociologists all seem to agree that your identity is central to how you think of yourself and how you
89 - Is Morality All About Cooperation?
26 Mar 2021
What are the origins and dynamics of human morality? Is morality, at root, an attempt to solve basic problems of cooperation? What implications does this have for the future? In this episode, I chat
88 - The Ethics of Social Credit Systems
26 Feb 2021
Should we use technology to surveil, rate and punish/reward all citizens in a state? Do we do it anyway? In this episode I discuss these questions with Wessel Reijers, focusing in particular on the
87 - AI and the Value Alignment Problem
23 Dec 2020
How do we make sure that an AI does the right thing? How could we do this when we ourselves don't even agree on what the right thing might be? In this episode, I talk to Iason Gabriel about these
86 - Are Video Games Immoral?
15 Dec 2020
Have you ever played Hitman? Grand Theft Auto? Call of Duty? Did you ever question the moral propriety of what you did in those games? In this episode I talk to Sebastian Ostritsch about the ethics
85 - The Internet and the Tyranny of Perceived Opinion
27 Oct 2020
Are we losing our liberty as a result of digital technologies and algorithmic power? In particular, might algorithmically curated filter bubbles be creating a world that encourages both increased
84 - Social Media, COVID-19 and Value Change
20 Oct 2020
Do our values change over time? What role do emotions and technology play in altering our values? In this episode I talk to Steffen Steinert (PhD) about these issues. Steffen is a postdoctoral
83 - Privacy is Power
10 Oct 2020
Are you being watched, tracked and traced every minute of the day? Probably. The digital world thrives on surveillance. What should we do about this? My guest today is Carissa Véliz. Carissa is an
82 - What should we do about facial recognition technology?
23 Sep 2020
Facial recognition technology has seen its fair share of both media and popular attention in the past 12 months. The runs the gamut from controversial uses by governments and police forces, to
81 - Consumer Credit, Big Tech and AI Crime
18 Sep 2020
In today's episode, I talk to Nikita Aggarwal about the legal and regulatory aspects of AI and algorithmic governance. We focus, in particular, on three topics: (i) algorithmic credit scoring; (ii)
80 - Bias, Algorithms and Criminal Justice
13 Aug 2020
Lots of algorithmic tools are now used to support decision-making in the criminal justice system. Many of them are criticised for being biased. What should be done about this? In this episode, I talk
79 - Is There A Techno-Responsibility Gap?
5 Aug 2020
What happens if an autonomous machine does something wrong? Who, if anyone, should be held responsible for the machine's actions? That's the topic I discuss in this episode with Daniel Tigard. Daniel
78 - Humans and Robots: Ethics, Agency and Anthropomorphism
27 Jul 2020
Are robots like humans? Are they agents? Can we have relationships with them? These are just some of the questions I explore with today's guest, Sven Nyholm. Sven is an assistant professor of
77 - Should AI be Explainable?
20 Jul 2020
If an AI system makes a decision, should its reasons for making that decision be explainable to you? In this episode, I chat to Scott Robbins about this issue. Scott is currently completing his PhD
76 - Surveillance, Privacy and COVID-19
18 Apr 2020
How do we get back to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic? One suggestion is that we use increased amounts of surveillance and tracking to identify and isolate infected and at-risk persons. While this
75 - The Vital Ethical Contexts of Coronavirus
15 Apr 2020
There is a lot of data and reporting out there about the COVID 19 pandemic. How should we make sense of that data? Do the media narratives misrepresent or mislead us as to the true risks associated
74 - How to Understand COVID 19
10 Apr 2020
I'm still thinking a lot about the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode I turn away from some of the 'classical' ethical questions about the disease and talk more about how to understand it and form
73 - The Ethics of Healthcare Prioritisation during COVID 19
3 Apr 2020
We have a limited number of ventilators. Who should get access to them? In this episode I talk to Lars Sandman. Lars is a Professor of Healthcare Ethics at Linköping University, Sweden. Lars’s
