Policy Press

The Ethics of AI

Power, Critique, Responsibility

By Rainer Mühlhoff

Published

May 1, 2025

Page count

192 pages

ISBN

978-1529249248

Dimensions

234 x 156 mm

Imprint

Bristol University Press

Published

May 1, 2025

Page count

192 pages

ISBN

978-1529249255

Dimensions

234 x 156 mm

Imprint

Bristol University Press

Published

May 1, 2025

Page count

192 pages

ISBN

978-1529249262

Dimensions

234 x 156 mm

Imprint

Bristol University Press
The Ethics of AI

Available open access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.

In a world where artificial intelligence increasingly influences the fabric of our daily lives, this accessible book offers a critical examination of AI and its deep entanglement with power structures. Rather than focusing on doomsday scenarios, it emphasizes how AI impacts our everyday interactions and social norms in ways that fundamentally reshape society. By examining the different forms of exploitation and manipulation in the relationship between humans and AI, the book advocates for collective responsibility, better regulation and systemic change.

This is a resounding manifesto for rethinking AI ethics through a power-aware lens. With detailed analysis of real-world examples and technological insights, it is an essential reading for anyone invested in the future of AI policy, scholarly critique and societal integration.

Rainer Mühlhoff is Professor of Ethics and Critical Theories of Artificial Intelligence at the Institute of Cognitive Science and Institute of Philosophy at the University of Osnabrück.

Introduction

Part 1: The Power of AI

1. What AI Are We Talking About?

2. Human-Aided AI

3. Digital Counter-Enlightenment and the Power of Design

4. Subjectivity and Power in the Ethics of AI

Part 2: The Power of Prediction

5. AI Systems as Prediction Machines

6. Predictive Privacy

7. The Culture of Prediction: Ethics and Epistemology

Part 3: The Power of Control

8. AI Cybernetics

9. Opacity in Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics

10. Bias in Cybernetic AI Systems

11. Collective Responsibility in the Ethics of AI

Conclusion: Manifesto for a Power-Aware Ethics of AI