Ethics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence | A Sept. 18, 2023 talk by Robert J. Howell

In an age where artificial intelligence can write term papers, drive cars and determine medical procedures, what role is there for ethical deliberation and decision making? Is it possible to program ethics into an algorithm? When might it be appropriate to defer to AI when it comes to morally weighty decisions? Robert J. Howell, Chair of the Department of Philosophy and the Yasser El-Sayed Professor of Philosophy at Rice University, discusses these issues and argues that now, more than ever, it is important for us to understand ethical dilemmas and the reasons that help us resolve them. Far from relegating philosophy and the humanities to the sidelines, the age of AI will be a time when we need these disciplines most. This Sept. 18, 2023 lecture was presented as part of the Humanities NOW series in the School of Humanities. Hosted by Natasha Bowdoin, Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Painting and Drawing in the Department of Art, Humanities NOW conversations are open to Rice students and the entire Rice community. They provide a sense of the wide variety of work scholars in the humanities are engaged in and how this work connects to current problems we face in society. --------------------------- Learn more: philosophy.rice.edu humanities.rice.edu/humanities-now