05/15/2025

Philosophy Eats AI

What leaders need to realize

Ethics isn't the only philosophical issue that organizations need to grapple with when developing and deploying AI. In fact, ethics and “responsible AI” are only a small part of the philosophical perspectives informing and guiding AI’s production, utility and use.

In this insightful video, MIT Sloan's Michael Schrage and MIT Sloan Management Review's David Kiron explain why leaders need to rigorously cultivate philosophical conversation if they want to realize strong returns and competitive advantage from their organizations' generative and predictive AI investments.

Building on a recent popular article they coauthored, Schrage and Kiron break down how philosophical frameworks shape what AI systems prioritize and produce. They also explain the critical concepts of teleology (purpose), epistemology (knowledge), and ontology (categorization) and detail how thinking through these concepts can temper the strategic risks that come from giving AI a more strategic role in the enterprise.

Please select this link to read the complete article from MIT Sloan Management Review.