Moral Imagination: From Smart to Wise AI

Nathan C. Walker

Is “smart” the best we can imagine for this century’s technological advancements? Or are we striving for something more? Artificial intelligence promises efficiency and innovation, but will it enrich the human experience and draw on what makes people wise?

Dr. Nathan C. Walker, founder of the AI Ethics Lab at Rutgers University, introduces moral imagination as a conceptual framework to assess whether human wisdom is embedded throughout the AI lifecycle. He challenges readers to think not only about how to build smarter machines but also about how preventing harm, promoting good, and safeguarding human dignity can set us on a path toward a wiser future.

The rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence requires the public to cultivate practical knowledge about AI ethics and law. The practice of moral imagination allows people to picture themselves in an ethical dilemma about AI in order to understand competing points of view.

In his interactive book featuring case studies on justice, trust, and public safety, Dr. Walker fosters readers’ embodied understanding of how to develop a moral compass for these uncertain times. He argues that by applying moral imagination, we cultivate ethical empathy to understand another person’s perspective, aware that understanding does not require agreement.

Moral Imagination is not a call for relativism about AI ethics but an invitation to engage with diverse standpoints that encourage readers to articulate informed moral convictions. In doing so, we take shared responsibility for advancing the public’s ethical and legal literacy about artificial intelligence.