In this episode of the AITEC Podcast, we’re joined by philosopher Mathilda Marie Mulert, a doctoral researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute, to explore one of the most difficult questions in contemporary tech ethics: when, if ever, is it morally permissible to simulate sexual violence? 

Drawing on her recent work on simulation ethics, Mulert examines video games, virtual environments, sex robots, and consensual role-play to challenge the assumption that “it’s just pretend.” We discuss the Gamers’ Dilemma, the limits of consent, and why moral context—not just content—matters when evaluating simulated wrongdoing.

This conversation is philosophical, careful, and candid. Listener discretion is advised.

Links:

• Mathilda’s Oxford Internet Institute Webpage
• Mathilda’s recent article

For more, visit ethicscircle.org. 

In this episode of the AITEC podcast, Sam Bennett speaks with philosopher of mind and AI researcher Iwan Williams about his paper “Intention-like representations in language models?” Williams is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen and received his PhD from Monash University.

The conversation explores whether large language models exhibit internal representations that resemble intentions, as distinct from beliefs or credences. Focusing on features such as directive function, planning, and commitment, Williams evaluates several empirical case studies and explains why current models may appear intention-like in some respects while falling short in others. The discussion also considers why intentions matter for communication, safety, and our broader understanding of artificial intelligence.

For more, visit ethicscircle.org. 

What if your ex never really left—because you trained a chatbot to be them? In this episode of the AITEC Podcast, we’re joined by philosopher Pilar López-Cantero to explore her provocative article, The Ethics of Breakup Chatbots. From the haunting potential of AI relationships to the dangers of narrative stagnation, we dive into what it means to love, let go, and maybe linger too long—with a machine. Are these bots helping us heal, or are they shaping a lonelier, more controllable kind of intimacy?

For more info, visit ethicscircle.org. 

In this episode of the AITEC Podcast, we sit down with Kevin Crowston and Francesco Bolici—two leading scholars of information science and organizational behavior—to explore the hidden risks of generative AI in the workplace and the classroom.

Their recent paper on deskilling and upskilling with AI serves as the foundation for a conversation that ranges from ChatGPT in programming to the future of education. The key concern? AI systems may offer short-term productivity boosts—but they quietly erode the very skills people need to think, solve problems, and make decisions when things go wrong.

We unpack:

• The tension between efficiency and learning: how AI tools give us answers but rob us of “learning by doing”
• Why novice users might look as good as experts—but only because AI is flattening the skill curve
• The “leveling effect” vs. the “multiplier effect”: when AI empowers novices vs. when it amplifies expert performance
• What happens to organizations—and societies—when no one remembers how to do things manually
• How educators can respond: should we stop students from using AI? Or teach them how to use it without becoming dependent?

From sales to software engineering, and from university classrooms to global labor markets, this episode explores how generative AI reshapes human learning, power, and value—and what we must do now to avoid a future of mass deskilling.

In this episode, we speak with philosopher Sebastian Purcell about his new book The Outward Path: Lessons on Living from the Aztecs. Purcell shows that Aztec philosophy offers a strikingly different vision of the good life — one that rejects the modern obsession with happiness and invulnerability in favor of something deeper: rootedness.

We discuss what it means to live a rooted life in a world that feels increasingly unstable — from collective agency and humility to willpower, ritual, and the art of balance. Along the way, Purcell explains how Aztec ethics can help us rethink everything from self-discipline and courage to how we live with technology, social media, and each other.

Links:
Sebastian’s website
Sebastian’s articles on Medium
Sebastian’s book

For more info, visit ethicscircle.org.

For more info, visit ethicscircle.org.

In this episode, we sit down with Jayashri A. Bangali, a researcher and educator whose work explores the evolving role of artificial intelligence in education—both in India and around the world. We discuss how AI is transforming learning through personalization, interactivity, and accessibility—but also raise hard questions about bias, surveillance, dependence, and deskilling.

We dig into Jayashri’s recent research on AI integration in Indian schools and universities, including key findings from surveys of students and teachers across academic levels. We also explore global trends in AI adoption, potential regulatory safeguards, and how policymakers can ensure that AI enhances—not erodes—critical thinking and creativity.

This is a wide-ranging conversation on the future of learning, the risks of offloading too much to machines, and the kind of education worth fighting for in an AI-driven world.

For more info, visit ethicscircle.org.

In this episode, we speak with Bernardo Bolaños and Jorge Luis Morton, authors of On Singularity and the Stoics, about the rise of generative AI, the looming prospect of superintelligence, and how Stoic philosophy offers a framework for navigating it all. We explore Stoic principles like the dichotomy of control, cosmopolitanism, and living with wisdom as we face of deepfakes, algorithmic manipulation, and the risk of superintelligent AI.

For more info, visit ethicscircle.org.

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Joshua Hatherley, a bioethicist at the University of Copenhagen, about his recent article, “Are clinicians ethically obligated to disclose their use of medical machine learning systems to patients?”

Dr. Hatherley challenges what has become a widely accepted view in bioethics: that patients must always be informed when clinicians use medical AI systems in diagnosis or treatment planning. We explore his critiques of four central arguments for the “disclosure thesis”—including risk, rights, materiality, and autonomy—and discuss why, in some cases, mandatory disclosure might do more harm than good.

For more info, visit ethicscircle.org.