Forum for the study of the ‘philosophy’ of AI launched at universities in Ontario and Alberta

Two Canadian scholars from Oshawa and Lethbridge, Alberta have launched the first coordinated, national forum for philosophers working on artificial intelligence.

The Canadian Association for the Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence (CAPAI) was created to address a “longstanding gap” in Canada’s AI landscape, said Dr. Martina Orlandi, a co-founder of CAPAI and an assistant professor in the new AI degree programs at Trent University Durham in Oshawa.

“While Canada has strong communities of researchers working on AI from technical and policy perspectives, there was no dedicated space for philosophers of AI to connect,” Orlandi said. “Networking and collaboration that once happened in isolation can now take place in a more organized, systematic, and efficient way.”

Co-founded with Dr. Nicholas Dunn, assistant professor of Philosophy at the University of Lethbridge, CAPAI brings together scholars and their work examining both foundational questions, such as the nature of intelligence, cognition, and decision-making, and urgent ethical and social concerns, including AI’s impact on labour, healthcare, bias, surveillance and democracy.

“AI is accelerating faster than institutions and policies can keep up, and philosophers have an important role to play in helping articulate the values and principles that should guide how these technologies are designed and deployed,” noted Dunn. “Without that clarity, we risk allowing innovation to outpace reflection.”

While much of the interest in AI applications has been focused on efficiency and automation, both scholars emphasize that the increase in AI adoption and the ways platforms are being used are raising deeper questions about human identity and well-being. Researcher, said Orlandi, are increasingly focused more on how AI is implemented in the social sphere.

“Our jobs, our struggles, and our decision-making are deeply tied to how we understand ourselves. As AI systems begin to replace or reshape these activities, we’re forced to ask whether a life made easier by technology is necessarily a more fulfilling one,” she said. “When we see people using AI chats as therapists or entering into relationships with AI personas, what does that say about our well-being today and do we fully understand the consequences of those interactions?”

Since launching earlier this fall, CAPAI has grown to 14 members and has introduced an online speaker series and a national website, with plans for in-person meetings and public engagement.

The association also aims to make Canadian research in the philosophy of AI more accessible to students, policymakers, and the broader public, ensuring philosophical insight becomes a foundational part of Canada’s AI conversation rather than an afterthought.

Trent University Durham GTA’s interdisciplinary approach to teaching and research has made it a natural home for CAPAI, particularly following the launch of its Artificial Intelligence programs, offering both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees.

The programs reflect the school’s belief that AI should be examined in the humanities spectrum, as well as in the technical and science fields.

In the classroom, this approach translates into engagement with real-world questions, with Orlandi’s research examining the ethical implications of outsourcing decision-making in healthcare contexts, including organ transplantation, while student discussions increasingly focus on emerging concerns such as deepfakes and the societal value (or lack thereof) of certain AI applications.

For more information about the programs, visit Trent’s website. For details on the Canadian Association for the Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence, visit capai-acpia.ca.