News

Our Director, Professor Herman Cappelen, author of several books about AI, explains why he believes that AI can think, plan and have emotions, why some people do not want to listen to music created by AI, and why do the philosophers like the film The Matrix. Read the full article here. 

We are excited to announce the launch of a new collaboration with The Conceptual Engineering for Emerging Technologies (CEET) initiative. This joint venture brings together the Conceptual Engineering Network, the ESDIT Consortium, our AI & Humanity Lab, and ConceptLab HK. The CEET initiative aims to promote the application of conceptual engineering to transformations induced by emerging technologies. The committee members of the CEET initiative include our Centre Director, Professor Herman Cappelen, Research Directors, Professor Max Deutsch and Dr Rachel Sterken. For more details, please visit its official website.

“YouTube, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and chatbots like ChatGPT and Bard—all of them have the power to manipulate you ……..” Check out this recent paper written by Rachel Sterken, our Department Head of Philosophy at The University of Hong Kong, along with Jessica Pepp and Eliot Michaelson. Read the full article here

Cappelen recently featured in a (Chinese language) TV show about risks and benefits arising from the development of powerful AI. You can watch it on Youtube here.

The Lab, along with the Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study, University of London, and the London AI and Humanity project, are organizing a summer school in philosophy of AI. The school is designed for PhD students, postdocs, and early career researchers in Philosophy, but is also open to those working in cognate areas who would benefit from participating. The school will take place in Paris, France, from 1st July to 5th July 2024, at the University of London in Paris (ULIP). For more information about applying, please see here, where you can find the form prospective applicants should fill in.

PhD Fellowships Available for work on Philosophy of AI: Each year, AI&H makes available a limited number of 4-year PhD fellowships for highly qualified candidates interested in pursuing a PhD in the philosophy department at HKU on issues related to the Philosophy of AI. If you are interested in this, in the first instance, email your information to maaies@hku.hk with “PhD Fellowship Interest” in the subject line.

The School of Humanities at the University of Hong Kong invites qualified individuals to apply for the position of Post-doctoral Fellow in Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence (2 posts), to commence as soon as a possible. The initial appointment will be for two years, with the potential for extension for an additional year. Applicants should have completed a Ph.D. degree in relevant fields of philosophy (or related fields) by the time of appointment. The position is open to all areas of specialization, but applicants with competence in philosophy of AI or philosophy of technology are preferred. This appointment will be affiliated with AI&Humanity-Lab: https://ai-humanity.net/ The post-doctoral fellow is expected to participate actively in the work of AI&Humanity-Lab.  Applicants should submit project proposals (max 5 pages) that fall within the research centre’s remit. Information about the department can be found at https://philosophy.hku.hk/dept/.  Enquiries about the duties of the post can be directed to Chair Professor Herman Cappelen (hwcapp@hku.hk).  The University only accepts online applications for the above post. Applicants should apply online at the University’s careers site (https://jobs.hku.hk) and upload an up-to-date C.V., a writing sample of scholarly work, and a project proposal on the philosophy of AI (not exceeding five pages). Shortlisted applicants will be requested to arrange for two references. The review of applications will begin immediately and continue until November 30, 2023, or until the position is filled. The PhilJobs advert can be found here. To apply, click here.

The AI and Humanity Lab will be hosting a speaker series bringing world-class scholars to give talks at the cutting edge of the philosophy of AI. Speakers coming this fall include: