AI, Philosophy & Thought News — 2026-10-20 (Tue) Morning News

Overview

Over the past 72 hours, the headlines centered on three areas: religious leaders and a Catholic outlet discussing AI, calls for more philosophy in education (including a sharp rise in competition for philosophy departments in South Korea), and Yuval Noah Harari's warning about AI and financial systems. A new set of philosophy-of-AI initiatives was also reported (Daily Nous), and an AI-and-philosophy dialogue event is scheduled in Japan (Dellows News). 【Philosophy of mind and consciousness】 - A piece titled "The human question behind AI" was published in Meer's English edition (Meer).

What it means to be human

- Daily Nous reported "New Philosophy of AI Initiatives" (Daily Nous). - Ynetnews reported Yuval Noah Harari's warning that AI could take over financial systems, under the headline "'We are the cows of the future'" (Ynetnews).

Knowledge and truth

- A Davis Vanguard "Meditations" piece carries the headline "AI Is Absolutely Polluted with Human Fear about Death" (Davis Vanguard). - Seoul Economic Daily reported that the head of KAIST says the AI era demands more philosophy in engineering education (Seoul Economic Daily). 【Free will, responsibility and agency】 No notable developments.

Thinkers and intellectuals

- Harari's warning on AI and financial systems is covered in section 10 (Ynetnews). 【Religion and spirituality in AI】 - A leader of the LDS Church spoke on AI at the G20 Interfaith Forum, under the headline "'AI for the common good'" (ABC4 Utah). - U.S. Catholic asked, "Can a chatbot be your spiritual adviser?" (U.S. Catholic).

Ideas about humanity's future

No notable developments.

Japanese thought and AI

- Infoseek reported that competition for university philosophy departments in South Korea has risen sharply, with Korea University reaching 113 to 1. The headline says a field called "unable to make a living" is being reassessed in the AI era (Infoseek). - Sanyo Shimbun ran the second part of a piece in which a University of Tokyo neuroscientist working on "immortality" gives an answer to whether AI can have will. The headline also cites the foresight of the sci-fi manga Ghost in the Shell (Sanyo Shimbun). - Dellows News reported that TETSUGAKU will hold an AI-and-philosophy dialogue event between Yasushi Hirai and Shigeru Taguchi on October 25 (Dellows News).

Statements by key figures

- Yuval Noah Harari (historian and author): warns that AI could take over financial systems, according to the headline (Ynetnews). - No statements from David Chalmers or Shannon Vallor appear in the headlines. 【Integrated analysis: what is happening】 The same structure appears in several places: institutions outside philosophy are bringing in philosophy as AI spreads. KAIST's leadership is calling for more philosophy in engineering education (Seoul Economic Daily), and competition for philosophy departments in South Korea is reported to have risen sharply (Infoseek). Religious bodies are also addressing AI directly, from an LDS Church leader at the G20 Interfaith Forum (ABC4 Utah) to a Catholic outlet asking about chatbots as spiritual advisers (U.S. Catholic). This suggests the question of what AI means for people is moving from academic circles into education and religious practice. Another thread is the question of what AI inherits from humans, as in the "fear about death" piece (Davis Vanguard) and the Japanese neuroscientist's answer on whether AI can have will (Sanyo Shimbun). Readers should note that the headlines show attention and events, not evidence about how many people hold these views. The rise in philosophy applicants may reflect several causes, and the headline's framing is only one account.

What to watch

- Whether the Dellows News-reported dialogue on October 25 produces concrete arguments about AI and philosophy in Japan (Dellows News). - Whether other universities follow the KAIST call for more philosophy in engineering education, which appears possible (Seoul Economic Daily). - Whether religious bodies move from statements to guidance on chatbot use, which may follow from the current discussion (U.S. Catholic, ABC4 Utah).