PhD position in AI Ethics and Philosophy of Science

The same machine learning (ML) methods that are unprecedently used across large areas of science are also wide ranging across society. ML models are determining what news we see, risk scores for fraud, and more. LLMs are structuring our knowledge with ChatGPT integrated in search engines and information platforms, even despite well documented cases of ChatGPT ‘hallucinations.’ 

Current approaches to evaluating ML models in society have clustered around issues of fairness, bias, problems of justice by introducing ML models at scale, the right to explanation, and more. While all these issues remain important, there is a deep worry that ML models might not be providing us with genuine information or knowledge in the first place. Before we can make informed decisions about when and where ML models should be used across society, we need to understand their epistemic value. 

The aim of the PhD project is to research how concepts in ethics and political philosophy might give us new perspectives in philosophy of science about concepts of idealization, representation, and model use.  Focus will be given on cases of AI / ML used for social prediction (e.g. risk scores for government fraud, employment hiring,  etc). 

This PhD project is part of the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant project Machine Learning in Science and Society: A Dangerous Toy? (TOY) The project team consists of the PI (Emily Sullivan), this PhD position, and two forthcoming post-doc positions.

This is a four-year fully funded PhD studentship. The successful applicant will receive a scholarship to cover tuition fees as well as a stipend at the UKRI minimum stipend rate (currently £20,780 for 2025/2026) for up to 4 years subject to satisfactory progress.

The successful PhD candidate will join a vibrant academic PhD community in the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences (PPLS) in the Philosophy department and in The Centre for Technomoral Futures in the Edinburgh Futures Institute.