New Study on AI’s Philosophical Skills

Sebastian Thrun, a computer scientist, entrepreneur, and adjunct professor at Stanford University (whose projects have included Waymo, Google X, Google Street View, and more) has launched a study to evaluate “the capabilities and limitations of AI systems for writing English-language philosophy.” Called PhilosophyBench, the study is focused on “whether AI can generate novel philosophical ideas and develop them clearly with depth and sophistication, not merely summarize existing views or apply existing philosophical theories.” The advisory board for the study includes philosophers Ned Block, Nancy Cartwright Ruth Chang, Kit Fine, Gideon Rosen, Jonathan Schaffer, Crispin Wright, and Linda Zagzebski, as well as computer scientists. The project involves developing “an independent academic benchmark against which claims about capabilities in AI philosophical reasoning and writing can be evaluated. If a new AI model comes out and claims are made about its philosophical capabilities, we hope…