Philosopher Dr. Soraj Hongladarom on Buddhism, Ethics and AI [S7.E17]

The Bangkok Podcast

Greg interviews Dr. Soraj Hongladarom on the intersection of AI, ethics, and Buddhism. Dr. Soraj begins by discussing his background in the study of philosophy in the U.S., in particular early modern Western philosophy. After returning to Thailand, he transitioned to the study of the philosophy of technology and science, which today of course, means AI. Dr. Soraj explains that different cultures certainly have different approaches to some ethical issues, and he is currently interested in how Buddhist thought might apply to the growing concerns over the use of artificial intelligence.

Today, there is a ‘global conversation’ about AI, and although people might agree about some general ethical guidelines to apply to AI (that it be the truth for example), there are still many concerns over issues such as privacy and AI usurping people’s jobs, to name a few. Greg asks how Thais might see ethics differently from Westerners, and Dr. Soraj explains that he actually teaches Western ethics to Thai students and finds that initially they have problems appreciating concepts such as equality and the rule of law. However, eventually they come around to the Western perspective.

Listen in as the two delve into more interesting twists and turns in the fascinating intersection between ethics, AI, and Buddhist culture.

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