Research Fellow: Political Philosophy of Data and AI (EXPIRED)

- Help to shape the new and growing field of the political philosophy of data and AI.

- Join a research lab advancing work on all fronts of machine intelligence and normative theory.

- Join a world-class philosophy department and focus on research for up to four years (shorter durations negotiable).

- Receive a high salary and substantial benefits; up to AUD135k including superannuation.

- Enjoy healthy work-life balance (35 hour work weeks, 20 days of leave a year, scope and support for WFH).

- Have easy access to stunning Australian bush, wild mountains, and spectacular beaches.

The ANU is seeking a world-class political philosopher to join the Australian Research Council-funded Future Fellowship project 'Automatic Authorities: Charting a Course for Legitimate AI'. 

Public and private actors are increasingly using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to exercise power over us all, and we are increasingly unsure whether to accept that power. AI faces a crisis of legitimacy. This project aims to use technically- and empirically-grounded political philosophy to make Australia a global leader in the study and design of democratically legitimate AI, and to foster and lead a growing field: the political philosophy of data and AI. We aim to recruit a talented political philosopher with substantial interest in the social and political impacts of AI and related technologies, and the willingness to engage with technical and empirical research on AI and its impacts in order to make first-order progress in political philosophy, with a view to publication with leading philosophy journals and presses, as well as to interdisciplinary engagement. 

The successful applicant will work alongside Professor Seth Lazar, as well as broader team of philosophy postdocs, PhD students, honours students, and research assistants as part of the Machine Intelligence and Normative Theory lab (MINT, launching January 2022). They will also be part of the broader interdisciplinary HMI network. HMI is a cross-university research project uniting philosophy, computer science, law, political science and sociology in the study and design of democratically legitimate AI. MINT will provide the Research Fellow with a focused (normative) philosophical research community and mentorship, while HMI will enable them to work closely with scholars from other fields, and other areas of philosophy, exploring the societal impacts of AI. The Research Fellow will also be an active member of the School of Philosophy (SoP) with access to a thriving intellectual community exploring a wide range of philosophical issues. 

We are looking for a Research Fellow to join these communities for up to four years (shorter durations may be considered), and to advance the 'Automatic Authorities' project under the guidance of Professor Lazar. Our primary criteria are (a) clear potential to write influential philosophy papers, which make first-order progress in moral and/or political philosophy, and (b) willingness to seriously invest in understanding the societal impacts of new technologies involving data and AI, including willingness to develop a basic technical understanding of these technologies, and to engage with empirical research on their societal impacts. Note that we do not require prior experience of working on this topic, though it is advantageous. The Research Fellow will be actively supported and mentored in building up the technical and empirical competence necessary to advance the project's aims, if they do not already possess it. 

The Research Fellow's primary role will be to contribute to the MINT, HMI and School of Philosophy research communities both through their own research, and through engaging collaboratively with the work of others. They will publish papers in leading philosophy journals. They will contribute to the organisation of research-related events. They will contribute to the delivery of one undergraduate course a year, on Philosophy, AI and Society, as part of a team of 2-4 people. They will travel internationally to present their work at leading departments around the world, contributing to the growth of the field of the moral and political philosophy of data and AI. 

Enquiries: Professor Seth Lazar T: +61 42032954 E: [email protected]