Ethics & AI

As the technologies spawned by big data and artificial intelligence enter every area of human existence, the ethical issues surrounding them become ever more critical. Combining his background in engineering and moral philosophy, Mois lectures and writes on the ethical dimensions of these emerging technologies. His course on “Ethics in Big Data and AI” (see syllabus: English and Hebrew), includes: discussions in the classical approaches to ethics as well as ethics of technology; big issues in big data; dilemmas in autonomous systems and robotics; and ends with a look into the future to discuss the ethical issues surrounding “the singularity” that will entail the end of work, and the end of life in its normative sense. Mois also delivers single lectures – click for the full lecture list.
In an effort to contribute to the ongoing ethical discussions in the field, Mois is a member of the Scientific Council of the Israeli Association for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence (IAEAI) as well as a member of AI and Faith.
You are invited to explore the intersection of ethics and artificial intelligence through Mois Navon’s collection of articles and lectures.
Transhumanism – a Short Intro
Transhumanism is a movement to “enhance humanity” by integrating technology into human beings, creating what is often referred to as “cyborgs”. In this video, I explain the movement within the
What’s so bad about Manipulation
Everyone has some intuition about the impropriety of manipulation. But why is it really bad, morally? And how does this play out on digital platforms?
Data is Power – On Surveillance & Privacy
With the advancement of technology and the internet of things, the capacity to collect data has given new meaning to surveillance and brought into focus the value of privacy. Is
In Your Face: DeepFakes meet DeepEthics / Conference on Judaism, Jews, and AI (ASU)
The world of deepfakes – videos that look remarkably real but are frighteningly fake – have become the scourge of the internet, prompting tech companies to scramble for solutions and
Autonomous Weapons Systems and Battlefield Dignity – A Jewish Perspective
“Alexa, How Do You Feel about Religion?” Technology, Digitization and Artificial Intelligence in the Focus of AI
2023 / 5783
From i-Robot to my-Robot
The openly stated goal of the AI industry is to develop conscious humanoid robots. The question is: Should we?
On Love, Robots and Miraculous Tzitzit
Love relationships are the most important relationships we have, but they are “messy” – social robots will make them “clean”. But are they real?
On Sentient AI – A Test for a Soul
While many posit a test for consciousness, at the end of the day, only God knows if one has a soul.
Autonomous Weapons Systems and Human Dignity
Many believe it is a violation of human dignity to deploy AWS. I show that this is a category error and that human dignity is no more impacted in
Robot Rabbis?
LLMs like ChatGPT are able to process vast amounts of data and produce (for the most part) asounding results. Can they be a rabbi and answer halachic questions (posek
The Ethics of Social Media
There is a value of free speech but there are also values that demand its limitation.
The Virtuous Servant Owner – A Paradigm Whose Time has Come (Again)
Frontiers in Robotics and AI
2022 / 5782
The Moral Status of a Humanoid
How are we to interact with mindless AI – robots, chatbots, virtual “people” online? The amswer, I suggest, is not found in the halls of academia but in the
Baby You Can Drive My Car – Autonomous Vehicles on Shabbat?
Autonomous Vehicle, Shabbat, Parshat Emor, Shavuot
The Trolley Problem Just Got Digital – Ethical Dilemmas in Programming Autonomous Vehicles
Forthcoming in B.D.D.
2019 / 5779
Will AI ever become Sentient?
Artificial Intelligence, Harden Heart, Teshuva, Parshat Vaera, DRASH
Between Intellect and Emotion
Gratitude, Parshat Beshalach, Shevii Shel Pesah, Yom HaAtzmaut
Autonomous Vehicle Ethics
Many a class on ethics opens with the renowned Trolley Problem. This ethical dilemma has been used to introduce the classical approaches of utilitarian versus deontological ethics. Now, though the