Robot Existentialism: Artificial Intelligence and the Limits of Rationality

FAIN: DOC-293714-23

University of Puget Sound (Tacoma, WA 98416-5000)
Ariela Tubert (Project Director: February 2023 to present)
Justin Tiehen (Co Project Director: June 2023 to present)

Research and writing a co-authored book on existential philosophy and artificial intelligence. 

Our proposed project is to complete a monograph on philosophical issues connected to existentialism and artificial intelligence titled, Robot Existentialism: Artificial Intelligence and the Limits of Rationality. We argue that a full understanding of human agency requires a recognition of the limits of rationality, together with an emphasis on the value of creation, including especially self-creation. The book engages with philosophical work on personal identity, the philosophy of mind, practical reason, and ethics, as well as work in artificial intelligence and aligned empirical fields to develop a unified view of a distinctive aspect of agency that is currently lacking in artificial beings. The expected final outcome of this collaborative team project will be the complete, publication-ready manuscript of the book, in addition to two pieces of public philosophy and presentations drawing on ideas in the book.