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On why AI companies hire philosophers (series: notes to myself)

Luciano Floridi · 6 Jul 2026

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Luciano Floridi did not write this page.

Every claim below was made in this piece, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

  1. Our reading

    Philosophy owned by AI laboratories keeps the salaries but loses its independence.

    Their wordsThe interesting question is not whether philosophy is useful, but what its use costs: a philosophy the laboratories own keeps the salaries and loses the independence that was the point.

  2. Our reading

    AI laboratories are not buying philosophy but the kind of person who chooses to study it.

    Their wordsWhatever the press release says, the laboratories are not buying philosophy but the kind of person who chooses to study it.

  3. Our reading

    You cannot optimise your way out of a dilemma; you need people trained to live inside one.

    Their wordsYou cannot optimise your way out of a dilemma. You need people trained to live inside one.

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