Thursday, September 17, 2026, 5-6:15 p.m.
DUC 234
Designed for undergraduates and the community
Civil Society Initiative: The emergence of powerful AI models has given new life to debates about what kinds of mentality—such as intelligence, agency, or consciousness—artificial systems can have. One question with salient ethical implications is that of whether AI systems can feel pain. Answering this question requires us to delve both into technological possibilities for AI as well as the nature and ethical significance of pain. What is it to be in pain, such that a machine could or could not be in such a state? What is it about pain that makes it different from other feelings? Would it be a big deal if AI systems could feel pain? Please join us for a discussion with Meaghan Creed (Anesthesiology) and Casey O’Callaghan (Philosophy and Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology). A light dinner will be served.
The Civil Society Initiative’s Dinner & Dialogue series presents debates on timely ethical and political questions that model reasoning about value questions and the positive side of disagreement.
This event is sponsored by the Frick Initiatives at the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy.