UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — S. Matthew Liao, a leading scholar in bioethics and moral philosophy at New York University (NYU), will present a lecture titled “Artificial Intelligence and Moral Status” at 5 p.m. on April 16 in 062 Willard Building at Penn State University Park. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Liao is the Arthur Zitrin Professor of Bioethics and director of the Center for Bioethics at NYU. His research focuses on the ethical implications of emerging technologies, human rights and the moral limits of technological intervention.
With artificial intelligence (AI) systems becoming more sophisticated and embedded in everyday life, questions about their ethical standing — once largely theoretical — are gaining urgency. Liao’s talk will examine whether AI systems could warrant moral consideration and what obligations humans might have toward them.
“As artificial intelligence systems become more capable, the question is no longer just what they can do, but how we ought to relate to them,” said Desiree Lim, associate director of the Rock Ethics Institute. “Dr. Liao’s work pushes us to consider whether moral status is something we extend based on intelligence, consciousness or other criteria, and what it would mean for our responsibilities if those boundaries begin to shift.”
The event is part of the Rock Ethics Institute’s “Ethical Technologies” theme for the academic year, which explores the societal and ethical implications of emerging technologies.
“Emerging technologies are forcing us to revisit some of our most fundamental ethical assumptions,” said Ted Toadvine, Nancy Tuana Director of the Rock Ethics Institute. “The ‘Ethical Technologies’ theme is designed to create space for these conversations. We are bringing philosophical insight into dialogue with real-world technological change that is already reshaping how we live and make decisions.”
The Rock Ethics Institute was established in 2001 through the support of Doug and Julie Rock. The institute promotes engaged ethics research and ethical leadership from its home in Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts.
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