In this post, I try to briefly make the case for making models good at moral philosophy. To be up front, aside from some niche areas of moral philosophy, I don’t actually think this is the most important thing to work on for most people. But, depending on the exact scope, I do think it's near competitive. I also like it as an archetype for a broader set of interventions.
After a brief preface (related to the archetype point), the main text of the post is structured as follows:
- I say what I mean by moral philosophy. I point out some directions in particular that seem relatively important and that are arguably within the scope of moral philosophy.
- I offer a brief explanation of what I mean by making AI systems “better” at moral philosophy. (I give a more detailed account in the appendix.)
- I give some examples of the kinds of interventions I have in mind.
- Finally, I make the actual case, arguing for importance and tractability (where tractability prices in neglectedness).
I include a lengthy “appendix” with the following content:
- A collection of articles by other people making similar arguments
- Responses to some common concerns [...]
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Outline:
(01:42) Preface: What about conceptual reasoning?
(03:06) What do I mean by moral philosophy?
(05:21) Some important issues that we may or may not view as moral philosophy
(09:57) What do I mean by "better"?
(14:40) Concretely what might one do?
(19:42) The case for making AI better at moral philosophy
(24:49) Appendix / further detail
(24:53) Others discussing similar ideas
(25:59) Some concerns about negative externalities
(35:59) What do I mean by "better"? - A more detailed picture
(45:03) Why this is a simpler pitch
(46:42) Further thoughts on tractability
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First published:
October 14th, 2026
Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/auMyz6pjPX5nGLYsL/the-basic-argument-for-making-ai-better-at-moral-philosophy
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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.
