The Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence
The course discusses some of the philosophical questions raised by artificial intelligence (AI). AI refers to the use of computational systems to perform tasks that we normally think require human intelligence. These include tasks such as reasoning, planning, decision-making, learning, natural language processing, perception and carrying out a conversation.
The course introduces philosophical concepts, theories and arguments relevant for a better understanding what AI is, how it may develop and for answering some of the questions raised by AI. Several areas of modern philosophy are thereby involved: philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, logic, epistemology and philosophy of science. The course gives a brief introduction to AI, its history and the concepts needed to grasp the modern discussion of AI, its promises and threats.
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Course structure
The rapid development of AI has raised many questions that urgently need to be answered. Many of these questions are just contemporary instances of well-known problems in philosophy. One aim of the course is to give an introduction to the basic tools and concepts from philosophy that are required for a fuller understanding of these questions. This will be useful both for those who are completely new to the topic and those who already have a firm grasp of the technical aspects of AI, but wish to strengthen their grasp of the philosophical underpinnings of these questions.
The course will be valuable also to those who merely want an introduction to philosophy. Artificial intelligence provides an excellent thematic playground for many areas of philosophy.
Examples of areas of philosophy that are touched on in the course are: Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Mind, Logic, Ethics and Epistemology.
Examples of questions that can be discussed include:
What does it mean to be intelligent, to have a mind, have mental states or self-consciousness? How can we test if AI has these? What is the epistemic and scientific status of the predictions and explanations that AI can provide? Is there semantic representation in e.g. Chat-GPT and DALL-E? How are tools from logic and probability used in AI for reasoning, data processing and knowledge-representation?
The rapid development of AI promises many opportunities. At the same time there are concerns that it poses threats to democracy, society and even existential threats to humanity and the world. The course provides an overview of some of the most discussed threats and promises and examines the arguments given for these.
No prior studies in either philosophy or artificial intelligence is assumed. The course will be relevant for anyone curious about the philosophical and conceptual issues raised by AI. No technical or mathematical knowledge beyond what is covered in high-school is assumed. The course will not only be useful to students who are completely new to AI. Students or professionals with a solid grasp of the technical aspects of AI will have opportunity to focus on philosophical and conceptual issues that technical courses often leave unexplored.
Panel discussion.
The course concludes with a panel discussion featuring experts from diverse fields. These panelists will engage in a dialogue and respond to questions from students, focusing on the dual aspects of AI: the threats it poses and the opportunities it offers, both in the present and future. This discussion is exclusively available to students enrolled in the course.A list of panelists will be posted soon.
Lecturers
Alice Damirjian, Anders Schoubye, Sören Häggqvist, Isaac Taylor, James Nguyen (examiner), Valenting Goranko and Sama Agahi (Director of studies).Learning platform Athena
There will be a course-page on Stockholm University’s learning platform Athena. Admitted students who have activated their student accounts and been registered will automatically be added to the Athena-page.Reading assignments, a detailed lecture plan etc. will be posted on the Athena-page.
Language of instruction English
Teaching format
Online course. No physical attendance required.
Lectures and discussion will be conducted via Zoom. Some pre-recorded lectures may be offered.There are a number of mandatory course elements in the form of quizzes. These serve as diagnostic tools to help students assess their understanding, and will be offered as autocorrected quizzes on the learning platform (Athena). The quizzes are not graded and do not count towards the final grading, but participation is mandatory for a passing grade.
Learning outcomes and grading
See syllabus.Examination
The course is examined on the basis of a written assignment in the form of a take-home examination.
The take-home examination is done online and must be done within a short time-span of 3-4 hours. (More information will be provided.)
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Schedule
The schedule will be available no later than one month before the start of the course. We do not recommend print-outs as changes can occur. At the start of the course, your department will advise where you can find your schedule during the course. -
Course literature
Note that the course literature can be changed up to two months before the start of the course. -
Course reports
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Contact
Examiner: James Nguyen james.nguyen@philosophy.su.se
Student office: info@philosophy.su.se
Director of studies: sama.agahi@philosophy.su.se
Student councelling: studievagledning@philosophy.su.se
