How to think in the age of AI

The more dazzling the technical progress, the more philosophical considerations it raises.

Many of the questions with which we’re now confronted regarding privacy, the architecture of choice, profiling, bias and (perhaps, eventually) the moral status of machines themselves are not solely technical matters.

And yet, even as philosophy becomes more relevant to the questions posed by our changing world, it is under pressure as an academic discipline.

In March , the British Philosophical Association launched the campaign Philosophy Matters , with the aim of promoting philosophy as an activity in universities, schools and in prisons.

The message from the campaign was that, though sometimes perceived as heavy-going, philosophy is not (usually) an abstruse topic, explored only by philosophers for philosophers.

It has real, practical applications in running the country: the PPE (philosophy, politics and economics) degree at Oxford is a standard qualification for the House of Commons .

David Edmonds ’ Philosophy Matters’ column appears regularly in the New Statesman.

Edmonds: In a world that is changing at an unprecedented pace, philosophy matters more than ever.

A report in 2024 tentatively concluded that “studying philosophy can make people better thinkers”.