Artificial Intelligence and the New Issue of Cognitive Subject

Abstract

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) technology renders the issue of the cognitive subject in epistemology a prominent one. It challenges the epistemological consensus that humankind is the only cognitive subject. With the development from weak AI to strong AI, the significance of humankind being the cognitive subject will undergo new changes. At present, AI technology does not possess the cognitive ability that humans do. As a result, considering the existing AI technology, the issue related to the cognitive subject to which we must give more attention ultimately concerns the epistemological labor division between human and machine. This division of labor requires the foundation that the technical possibility is governed by the value orientation. From the value perspective of regarding human beings as the purpose, machine intelligence, and the direction and limit of the power that technology brings to cognitive subjects will be clarified. This will let the information technology do what it is meant to do, while people will always be able to reserve the subject status for themselves.

Key words： artificial intelligence (AI), cognitive subject, division of manmachine