Machine Love and Human Flourishing

Historical event record · 2023. Registration is closed. Roles and affiliations refer to the event date.

As Machine Learning (ML) technologies continue to advance at an unprecedented pace, there is an increasing recognition of their potential to both facilitate and harm human flourishing. This raises the pressing question of how we can develop and introduce ML systems that promote human flourishing without causing harm. One solution proposed by Joel Lehman (2023) is to imbue ML systems with love.

The question remains: Can machines truly exhibit love? To what degree can this approach enhance human flourishing? This workshop explored these questions in a transdisciplinary dialogue merging the scientific and engineering fields with insights from the humanities, including philosophy, ethics, law, and society.

This workshop was supported by the Toyota Foundation funded project “Pioneering Artificial Subject Studies: A New Framework for Advancing Interdisciplinary Studies on the Ideal Form of the Co-Existence Between Human Beings and Artificial Subjects” (D21-ST-0012).