The rise of artificial intelligence and the crisis of moral passivity

Abstract

In “The rise of the robots and the crisis of moral patiency”, John Danaher argues that the rise of AI and robots will dramatically suppress our moral agency and encourage the expression of moral passivity. This discussion note argues that Danaher needs to strengthen his argument by supporting two key assumptions, that (a) AI will otherwise be friendly or neutral (instead of simply destroying humans), and that (b) humans will largely succumb to the temptation of over-relying upon AI for motivation and decision-making in their personal lives.