2023/12/01 by Inkeri Koskinen · 2 voices
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics #Philosophy and History of Science #Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/02691728.2023.2286253
In the social epistemology of scientific knowledge, it is largely accepted that relationships of trust, not just reliance, are necessary in contemporary collaborative science characterised by relationships of opaque epistemic dependence. Such relationships of trust are taken to be possible only between agents who can be held accountable for their actions. But today, knowledge production in many fields makes use of AI applications that are epistemically opaque in an essential manner. This creates a problem for the social epistemology of scientific knowledge, as scientists are now epistemically dependent on AI applications that are not agents, and therefore not appropriate candidates for trust.