Work

Dropping Anchor in Rough Seas: Co-Reasoning with Personalized AI Advisors and the Liberalism of Fear

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: In response to Benjamin Lang’s defence of “co-reasoning” with personalized AI advisors, this article formulates a political critique of the co-reasoning model through the lens of the liberalism of fear. This reframes the ethical aspiration to self-realization with the assistance of AI by embedding it within a realistic political setting. It suggests that before we seek to maximize the odds of self-realization, we should strive to minimize the odds of domination by others. After highlighting three power asymmetries involved in the co-reasoning model, the article argues that personalization risks stabilizing domination by translating structural injustices into individualized aspirational challenges. Three political constraints on personalized AI are then proposed: the priority of non-domination, the public contestability of operative norms, and the recognition of non-personalizable civic burdens.

Source: Philosophy & Technology

DOI: 10.1007/s13347-025-01006-z

Author: Matthieu Queloz

Institution: University of Bern

Language: English

Topic: Ethics and Social Impacts of AI

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,290