The idea of Philosphy is far from new or alien to the field of AI. In effect, a 1969 paper was already proposing “Why Artificial Intelligence Needs Philosophy”
“…it is important for the research worker in artificial intelligence to consider what the philosophers have had to say…”
…have to say; will have to say
“…we must undertake to construct a rather comprehensive philosophical system, contrary to the present tendency to study problems separately and not try to put the results together…”
…besides the observation that the “present tendency” is one that has been present since at least 1969, this quote might more hope-inducingly be implying the need for integration & transdisciplinarity
This 1969 paper, calling for philosophy was brought to us by the founder of the field of Artificial Intelligence. Yes. That human that coined the field & name did not shun away from transdisciplinarity
This is fundamentally important enough to be kept active in the academic & popular debates
Note, philosophy contains axiology, which contains aesthetics & ethics. These are after-thoughts in present-day narration that make up some parts of the field of “AI”
Some claim it is not practical. However note, others claim mathematics too is impractical. Some go as far with the dismissal as to stating that people studying math (which is different from Mathematics) end up with Excel
These debasing narratives, which are also systematized into our daily modes of operation & relation, are dehumanizing
Such downward narration is not rational, & is tinkering with nuances which are not contained by any model to date
Let us further contextualize this
Machine-acts are at times upwardly narrated & hyped as humanized (ie anthropomorphism). Simultaneously human acts are (at times downwardly) mechanized (ie mechanomorphism)
These opposing vectors are let loose into the wild of storytelling while answering at times rather opaque needs, & offering unclear outcomes for technologies, packaged with ideological hopes & marketable solutions. The stories are many. The stories are highly sponsored & iterative. The stories are powered by national, financing & corporate interest. ok. & yet via strategic weaponization of story-telling they divide & become divisive. ok; not all. Yet not all whitewash those who do not
In these exciting & mesmerizing orations, who & what is powering the enriching philosophical narratives in a methodological manner for the young, old, the initiated, the outlier or the ignorant?
Here, in resonance with McCarthy, philosophy (axiology) comes in as practically as mathematics. These imply beauty & complexity of a balancing opportunity which are not debasing technological creativity. This transdisciplinarity enables humanity.
Nevertheless Bertrand Russell probably answered the question as to why Axiology is paid lip service yet is kept at bay over again: ““Men fear thought as they fear nothing else on Earth” (1916)
Reference
McCarthy, J., Hayes, P.J. (1969). Some Philosophical Problems from the Standpoint of Artificial Intelligence. In B. Meltzer and D. Michie. (eds). Machine Intelligence 4, 463–502. Edinburgh University Press
http://jmc.stanford.edu/articles/mcchay69/mcchay69.pdf
OR
McCarthy, J., & Hayes, P. J. (1981). Some Philosophical Problems from the Standpoint of Artificial Intelligence. In Readings in Artificial Intelligence (pp. 431–450). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-934613-03-3.50033-7