Who's to blame when HAL kills again?
Published:
Mar 25, 2020
Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence (AI); Moral Agency; Responsibility Gap; Ethics of Technology; HAL 9000; Daniel Dennett; Autonomous Systems; Moral Personhood
Abstract
This article explores the ethical and legal challenges of moral agency and responsibility in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Using the fictional AI "HAL 9000" from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey as a starting point, the author investigates whether advanced autonomous systems can be held morally or legally accountable for their actions. Gounaris engages with Daniel Dennett’s theories on the "intentional stance" and the "higher-order" conditions required for moral personhood, such as consciousness, rationality, and the ability to be a "subject of address". The paper examines the "responsibility gap" that arises when AI systems make life-or-death decisions—such as in autonomous weaponry or medical triage—where traditional human-centered liability models may no longer apply. Ultimately, the study questions whether we should treat AI as a mere tool, a moral agent, or a "moral patient," and emphasizes the need for a new ethical framework to manage the risks of the 21st-century technological landscape.
Article Details
- How to Cite
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Gounaris, A. (2020). Who’s to blame when HAL kills again?. Ηθική. Περιοδικό φιλοσοφίας, (12), 4–10. https://doi.org/10.12681/ethiki.22772
- Issue
- No. 12 (2019)
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- Articles
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