Philosophy of AI Presentation Series: The Meaningfulness Gaps in AI Ethics
The aim of this lecture series – organized by the DSI Community Ethics – is to present various debates in the philosophy of AI. The lectures will be given by experts in the field from various disciplines related to AI and digital innovation. The general objective of the series is to promote exchange and interaction between various fields of expertise, including (but not limited to) philosophy, engineering, information systems, computer science, law, political science and sociology.
In this session, Markus Rüther, Permanent Researcher in Ethics of AI at the Center of Neurology and Medicine at the Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, will give a lecture entitled «The Meaningfulness Gaps in AI Ethics».
As AI systems increasingly take over tasks once performed by humans, a new kind of question is coming into focus: What does this shift mean for living a meaningful life? While much of the discussion in AI ethics has focused on individual well-being and moral concerns, the issue of meaningfulness – or «meaning in life», as some prefer to call it – has only recently begun to attract serious attention. So far, many contributions express skepticism and raise a range of concerns regarding the use of AI. A substantial portion of these concerns can be grouped as the «meaningfulness gap». Although this gap is frequently acknowledged, the literature still lacks a clear and systematic framework for analyzing it. This talk aims to address that gap by presenting a guide for understanding the various forms of meaningfulness gaps that may emerge when AI replaces human roles. These gaps can be categorized, among other things, by where they occur, what they involve, how significant they are, and how they should be evaluated. Along the way, the talk also offers reflections on the severity of certain meaningfulness gaps and provides some initial suggestions for how they might be addressed. The talk concludes by summarizing the proposed guide and responding to common objections with clarifying remarks.
When / Wann: May 7, 2025, 14:00 - 15:30
Where / Wo: SOC-E-010, Digital Society Initiative, Rämistrasse 69, 8001 Zurich and online via Zoom (Link)
Language / Sprache: English
More info / Weitere Infos: Link
Organisation: DSI Community Ethics