Events

CHAIRPERSON

Assoc Prof Gregory Clancey, Asia Research Institute, and Department of History, National University of Singapore

ABSTRACT

This talk introduces a Buddhist philosophical framework for thinking about artificial intelligence (AI), designed for scholars who may not be familiar with Buddhist thought. The focus is not on Buddhism as a religion, but on its intellectual and ethical traditions as a source of philosophical insight. These ideas can broaden and deepen global discussions on AI, which have so far been shaped mainly by Western concepts of autonomy, rights, and rationality.

First, Buddhism offers an ontological shift. Instead of treating AI as an “agent” with a stable self, Buddhist philosophy emphasizes anattā (non-self) and paṭiccasamuppāda (dependent origination). These concepts highlight that neither humans nor machines exist independently; both emerge from networks of causes and conditions. This perspective helps move beyond the language of “machine autonomy” to focus on the social, institutional, and economic contexts in which AI operates.

Second, Buddhism enriches epistemology. Classical logic often assumes binary distinctions such as true or false, safe or dangerous. Buddhist reasoning, through catuskoṭi (the fourfold logic), allows for more flexible categories such as “both true and false” or “neither true nor false.” This resonates with AI’s probabilistic and context-dependent outputs, reminding us to approach machine “knowledge” with humility and caution.

Third, Buddhism contributes an ethical orientation grounded in the four brahmavihāras (sublime virtues). Mettā (loving-kindness), karuṇā (compassion), muditā (sympathetic joy), and upekkhā (equanimity) collectively stress intention and relational responsibility. Applied to AI, they encourage minimizing harm (karuṇā), fostering inclusive benefit (muditā), designing with goodwill (mettā), and balancing competing interests with fairness (upekkhā). Together, they guide practices of “compassionate design” and governance: prioritizing human well-being, recognizing global interdependence, and ensuring that AI advances are shared rather than concentrated.

By translating these ideas into concrete proposals such as mindful innovation, interdependent risk assessment, and culturally inclusive governance, the talk demonstrates how Buddhist philosophy can complement existing approaches to AI ethics and policy. The goal is to show how an ancient intellectual tradition functions as a philosophical and practical resource for shaping AI in ways that are humane, context-sensitive, and globally relevant.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Rethy Chhem holds an MD (Paris), a PhD in Education (Montreal) and a PhD in History (Montreal), and is currently Distinguished Professorship in AI and the Humanities at the Cambodia University of Technology and Science. He is concurrently Senior Minister in the Kingdom of Cambodia, and Chairman of its Economic, Social and Cultural Council. He has published more than 200 scientific articles, co-authored 25 textbooks and has been invited as a keynote speaker in more than 70 countries. He was formerly Professor of Radiology in Canada (McGill University), Singapore (National University of Singapore), Austria (Vienna Medical University), before becoming Director of the Division of Human Health at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, where he oversaw coordination between that agency and Japanese health workers in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. He was also the founder of the Society for the History of Medicine in Southeast Asia.

REGISTRATION

Registration is closed, and instructions on how to participate in this hybrid talk has been sent out to registered attendees. Please write to ziqi@nus.edu.sg if you would like to attend the event.