Artificial intelligence (AI) is a very old idea, but the term AI and the field of AI as it relates to modern programmable digital computing have taken their contemporary forms in the past 70 years.1Today, we interact with AI technologies constantly, as they power our web search engines, enable social media platforms to feed us targeted advertising, and drive our streaming service recommendations. Nonetheless, the release of OpenAI’s open-source AI chatbot ChatGPT in November 2022 signalled a game change because it demonstrated to the wider public a capacity for machines to behave in a “human-like” way. ChatGPT’s arrival also reignited questions and debates that have long preoccupied philosophers and ethicists. For example, if machines can behave like humans, what does this mean for our understanding of moral responsibility?
Across numerous professions, ethically charged questions are being be delegated to AI, what consequences might arise, and what or who is then responsible. These questions are concerned with how human (and non-human) actions, behaviours and choices affect the responsibilities we have to each other, to the environment and to future generations.
