AI Ethics
by Mark Coeckelbergh
University of Vienna philosopher Mark Coeckelbergh examines AI ethics beyond hype, from Frankenstein to autonomous weapons and data bias
"We don't want a kind of psychopath AI that is perfectly rational but insensitive to human concerns because it lacks emotions".
Editorial Summary
Mark Coeckelbergh argues that artificial intelligence ethics requires moving beyond sensationalist narratives to address concrete ethical dilemmas. The University of Vienna philosopher systematically examines AI's pervasive impact—from Google's search algorithms and Facebook's targeted advertising to autonomous weapons and predictive policing systems. Coeckelbergh traces influential AI narratives from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to contemporary transhumanism and the technological singularity, while exploring fundamental philosophical questions about the moral status of artificial intelligence and the differences between humans and machines. He covers critical ethical issues including privacy violations, algorithmic bias throughout data science processes, transparency deficits, and the delegation of decision-making authority to artificial systems, ultimately advocating for embedding democratic values into AI design.
Perspective
"Coeckelbergh writes AI ethics as philosophy rather than compliance checklist, which means by the end you have a richer vocabulary for the moral questions — not a cleaner set of answers. His distinctive contribution is tracing how our cultural narratives about AI, from Frankenstein to the Singularity, shape what we think is ethically possible before we even begin designing systems. Students, policymakers, and anyone who finds current AI ethics discourse too shallow will appreciate a book that takes the philosophical foundations seriously."
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