Can ChatGPT (and similar AI systems) understand the prompts they are given? Do they understand their own responses? I argue that, despite their impressive behavior, the way ChatGPT and similar models are trained make them unlikely candidates for semantic understanding. Unlike humans and many animals, who are causally sensitive to the meanings of the words we use, ChatGPT is plausibly just sensitive to statistical information about text co-occurrence. I conclude by discussing some implications for AI research and its ethical application.

Is self-care really the answer to burnout, anxiety, and stress? The self-care movement in the United States has its roots in the idea that caring [...]

Throughout the semester, department faculty will meet with graduate students to share their research interests and projects. These informal sessions are meant to acquaint graduate students with the breadth and depth of philosophical work in the department and to inform their choices of faculty advisors and mentors.

This month, CLA’s “Insights” Speaker Series celebrates the CSU Thematic Year of Democracy. Join us for brief, exciting presentations followed by a Q&A to generate [...]

Throughout the semester, department faculty will meet with graduate students to share their research interests and projects. These informal sessions are meant to acquaint graduate students with the breadth and depth of philosophical work in the department and to inform their choices of faculty advisors and mentors.

A pragmatism ecofeminist approach to living with other animal beings takes human continuity with the rest of nature seriously and arrives at a pluralist approach to ethics that takes actual and changing relationships seriously.  I will argue that this approach offers more useful guidance to public policy and personal relationships with other animal beings as it avoids moral absolutism and human exceptionalism. This will be illustrated with examples of human relationships with animal beings commonly viewed as “pets,” “livestock,” and “wild.” While many animal beings will be discussed, horses will provide a particular focus.