CGSC 3603
Artificial Intelligence: Philosophical and Ethical Issues
Topics examined through the lens of philosophy and cognitive science may include humans’ obligations towards AI, sentient AI, implications of AI for models of cognition, designing ethical AI systems, implications of using AI in healthcare, and social inequality and job displacement related to AI.
2026
Topics
- Introduction
- Super Intelligence and the Singularity
- Bostrom (2003), “When Machines Outsmart Humans”
- Chalmers (2010), “The Singularity: A Philosophical Analysis”
- Existential Risk and Value Alignment
- Vold & Harris (2021), “How Does Artificial Intelligence Pose an Existential Risk?”
- Both Ways”
- “Merging” with AI
- Turner & Schneider (2020), “Could You Merge with AI? Reflections on the Singularity
- and Radical Brain Enhancement”
- Heersmink (2017), “Distributed Selves: Personal Identity and Extended Memory
- Systems”
- LLMs and Understanding
- Bender & Koller (2020), “Climbing Towards NLU: On Meaning Form and
- Understanding”
- Piantadosi & Hill (2022), “Meaning Without Reference in Large Language Models”
Prerequisites & course information
Also listed as PHIL 3503 . Prerequisite(s): CGSC 2001 or PHIL 2501 and third-year standing in Cognitive Science or Philosophy. Seminar 3 hours per week.