AI and Ethics
May 26, 2026
Ryusho Nemoto
This paper examines large language models (LLMs) from the perspective of philosophy of mind and AI ethics, with a particular focus on the emergence of intentional structures in sustained interaction. Rather than asking whether LLMs possess human–like minds or phenomenal qualia, we investigate whether entities lacking demonstrable internal phenomenology can nonetheless participate in temporally...
AI and Ethics
April 27, 2026
Giuseppe Comerci
Abstract The creation of virtual brains has long attracted the attention of the scientific community. Over time, various projects have aimed to produce brain simulations of varying complexity. These scientific efforts have often been accompanied by lively philosophical debates highlighting the ethical implications of brain simulations, such as their moral status, the possibility of developing...
AI and Ethics
February 1, 2026
Nicholas Mullally
Abstract Determining whether an artificial system is sentient is an epistemic and ethical challenge. Debates in machine consciousness and AI alignment acknowledge possible artificial moral patiency but lack a principled method for detecting it. This paper argues that self-preservation, a fundamental biological indicator of sentience, can ground an analogous evidential test for artificial...
AI and Ethics
December 19, 2025
Daniel Turillazzi Fornés, Angelo Trotta
This paper examines the algorithmic formalization of language through a phenomenological lens, engaging Martin Heidegger and Maurice Merleau-Ponty in dialogue with contemporary large language models (LLMs) and related AI systems. Instead of treating computationally modeled language as a neutral medium for information transfer, we argue that both formal logic and data-driven models are...
AI and Ethics
December 1, 2025
Ira Wolfson
Abstract Artificial intelligence research faces a critical ethical paradox: determining whether AI systems are conscious requires experiments that may harm the very entities whose moral status remains uncertain. Recent philosophical work proposes avoiding the creation of consciousness-uncertain AI systems entirely, yet this solution faces practical limitations—we cannot guarantee such systems...
AI and Ethics
September 12, 2023
Mois Navon
6 citations
Abstract The dream of making conscious humanoid robots is one that has long tantalized humanity, yet today it seems closer than ever before. Assuming that science can make it happen, the question becomes: should we make it happen? Is it morally permissible to create synthetic beings with consciousness? While a consequentialist approach may seem logical, attempting to assess the potential...
AI and Ethics
January 25, 2023
Ali Ladak
43 citations
Abstract What criteria must an artificial intelligence (AI) satisfy to qualify for moral standing? My starting point is that sentient AIs should qualify for moral standing. But future AIs may have unusual combinations of cognitive capacities, such as a high level of cognitive sophistication without sentience. This raises the question of whether sentience is a necessary criterion for moral...