Philosopher Jeff Kane [https://waldorfgarden.org/about/meet-our-board/jeffrey-kane/] joins us to discuss his new book The Emergence of Mind: Where Technology Ends and We Begin [https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-46835-3]. In an age where AI writes poems, paints portraits, and mimics conversation, Kane argues that the human mind remains fundamentally different—not because of what it does, but because of what it is. We explore the moral risks of thinking of ourselves as machines, the embodied nature of thought, the deep structure of human values, and why lived experience—not information processing—grounds what it means to be human.

#18 Jeff Kane: Minds, Machines, and the Meaning of Being Human

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Caroline Ashcroft, Lecturer in Politics at the University of Oxford and author of Catastrophic Technology in Cold War Political Thought. Drawing on figures like Arendt, Jonas, Ellul, and Marcuse, Ashcroft explores a powerful yet underexamined idea: that modern technology is not just risky or disruptive—but fundamentally catastrophic. We discuss how mid-century political theorists viewed technology as reshaping the environment, the self, and the world in ways that eroded human dignity, democratic life, and any sense of limits.

For more info, visit ethicscircle.org [https://www.ethicscircle.org/].

#17 Caroline Ashcroft: The Catastrophic Imagination

Philosopher Teresa Baron joins us to discuss her book The Artificial Womb on Trial. As artificial womb technology edges closer to reality, Baron asks a different question: not just what ectogenesis means for society, but how we ethically get there. From human subject trials to questions of consent, regulation, and reproductive justice, this episode puts the development process itself under the bioethical microscope.

For more info, visit ethicscircle.org [https://www.ethicscircle.org/].

#16 Teresa Baron: The Artificial Womb on Trial

What does it mean to live well in an AI-driven world—and how can we use AI to help us get there?

In this episode, we speak with psychologist and neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Kosslyn [https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/stephen-m-kosslyn]. Stephen Kosslyn is Professor Emeritus at Harvard University, and he is former chair of the Harvard psychology department and dean of social sciences. He is currently the CEO of Active Learning Sciences [https://www.activelearningsciences.com/]. We discuss how generative AI isn’t just a tool for speed and convenience—it can be a cognitive amplifier for building the kind of life we actually want. Drawing from his book Learning to Flourish in the Age of AI [https://www.routledge.com/Learning-to-Flourish-in-the-Age-of-AI/Kosslyn/p/book/9781032686660?srsltid=AfmBOoq6ZVq0FM_jbptvgRw6jd_TDjkbIe-0BMwsl8PV7TawiVkGlifB], we explore how to use large language models to set life goals, stay motivated, communicate better, manage emotions, understand ourselves and others, and think more clearly.

For more info, visit ethicscircle.org [https://www.ethicscircle.org/].

#15 Stephen Kosslyn: Learning to Flourish in the Age of AI

What if the best AI art doesn’t care what we think? In this episode, we talk with philosopher Alice Helliwell [https://www.alicehelliwell.com/] about her provocative idea: that future AI might create aesthetic value not by mimicking human tastes, but by challenging them. Drawing from her 2024 article “Aesthetic Value and the AI Alignment Problem,” we explore why perfect alignment isn't always ideal—and how a little artistic misalignment could open new creative frontiers.

For more info, visit ethicscircle.org [https://www.ethicscircle.org/].

#14 Alice Helliwell: The Art of Misalignment 

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Marianna Capasso, a postdoctoral researcher at Utrecht University, about her 2022 book chapter “Manipulation as Digital Invasion: A Neo-Republican Approach”, which can be found in The Philosophy of Online Manipulation [https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003205425/philosophy-online-manipulation-fleur-jongepier-michael-klenk?_gl=1*1i7t64q*_gcl_au*MjYxNjg1NTkyLjE3NDMyOTIwMDQ.*_ga*MTQ2NjIyNTIwNy4xNzM0NjM0NDE2*_ga_0HYE8YG0M6*MTc0MzI5MjAwMy4zLjAuMTc0MzI5MjAwMy42MC4wLjA.], published by Routledge.

Drawing on a neo-republican conception of freedom, Dr. Capasso analyzes the ethical status of digital nudges—subtle, non-intrusive design elements in digital interfaces that gently guide users towards a specific action or decision—and explores when they cross the line into wrongful manipulation. We discuss key concepts like domination, user control, algorithmic bias, and what it means to be free in a digital world.

For more info, visit ethicscircle.org. 

#13: Marianna Capasso: Manipulation as Digital Invasion

Elyakim Kislev [https://elyakim-kislev.huji.ac.il/] is a senior lecturer in the School of Public Policy and Governance at the Hebrew University; there he specializes in relationships, technology, loneliness, and singles studies. Today we’ll be discussing his book Relationships 5.0: How AI, VR, and Robots Will Reshape Our Emotional Lives [https://global.oup.com/academic/product/relationships-50-9780197588253?cc=us&lang=en&].

Some of the topics we discuss are the effect of technology on relationships throughout human history, the potential for meeting human relational needs through technology, and the challenge that emerging technologies pose on our existing forms of moral education—among many other topics. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

For more info on the show, please visit ethicscircle.org [https://www.ethicscircle.org/].

#12 Elyakim Kislev: Relationships 5.0

Kelly McDonough is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas, Austin. We'll be discussing her new book Indigenous Science and Technology: Nahuas and the World around Them [https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/indigenous-science-and-technology] (2024). This is a work in Nahua intellectual history, and it examines how Nahuas have explored, understood, and explained the world across pre-invasion, colonial, and contemporary eras.

Some of the topics we discuss are competing conceptions of science and technology, whether only Western science is real science, Nahua science and technology, and the Nahua focus on balance and interrelatedness—among many other topics. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did. 

#11 Kelly McDonough: Indigenous Science and Technology

Sara Migliorini [https://fll.um.edu.mo/sara-migliorini/] is Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Macau, specializing in international law, AI, and big data. We'll be discussing her 2023 article "Biometric Harm," which examines how the use of biometric identification—identifying people by their bodily or behavioral features—can pose significant harm to both individuals and society.

Some of the topics we discuss are the different technologies used for biometric identification, the human need for unobserved time, the right to control our informational narrative, and laws that might protect us from biometric harm—among many other topics. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

For more info on the show, please visit ethicscircle.org [https://www.ethicscircle.org/].

#10 Sara Migliorini: Biometric Harm

Amy Kind [https://www.amykind.com/] is the Russell K. Pitzer Professor of Philosophy at Claremont McKenna College, as well as the Director of the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies. She is a leading philosopher in the philosophy of mind, with a focus on imagination and consciousness. Her books include Imagination and Creative Thinking and Persons and Personal Identity. Today, we’ll explore her recent article, Biometrics and the Metaphysics of Personal Identity.

Some of the topics we discuss are the metaphysics of personal identity and the question of whether biometric technology actually tracks personal identity. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

For more info on the show, please visit ethicscircle.org [https://www.ethicscircle.org/].

#9 Amy Kind: Biometrics and the Metaphysics of Personal Identity 

Welcome to AITEC Podcast, where we explore the ethical side of AI and emerging tech.

We call our little group the AI and Technology Ethics Circle (AITEC). Visit ethicscircle.org [https://www.ethicscircle.org/] for more info. 