Future of Bi-Subjectivities

This book brings together the thought-provoking reflections of Zhao Tingyang, a distinguished Chinese philosopher, on the philosophy of science and technology, exploring and responding to transformative advancements in artificial intelligence.

Originally entitled The Myth or Dirge of Artificial Intelligence in its Chinese edition, the book is a collection of essays on artificial intelligence. Organized around the ChatGPT divide, the author contrasts the pre-AlphaGo era with the current age of large language models (LLMs). From the perspectives of ethics and political philosophy, Zhao Tingyang vigorously challenges mainstream AI ethics and offers two political forecasts arising from the technological upgrade: a high likelihood of a new “service is power” despotism and less than a 50% chance of civilizational regression. Ultimately, Zhao proposes “verb philosophy” as a potential metaphysical key to unlocking advanced world-model AI or embodied AI. The chapters explore the distinction, essence, dangers, and possible solutions of modern artificial intelligence, balancing academic rigor with accessibility for general readers. The book offers a philosophical vision and depth that is rare nowadays.

The book will serve as an essential reference for scholars and students of the liberal arts, especially philosophy, as well as for any reader concerned about technological advancement and the future of the human world.

Zhao Tingyang is a professor in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and researcher at the Institute of Philosophy, CASS. He is also a member of the Academic Committee of the European Institute for Cross-Cultural Studies and a senior researcher at the Berggruen Institute in the US. His research focuses on metaphysics, political philosophy, and ethics; he has put forward such original theories as the “Tianxia System Theory”, “Co-existence Ontology”, and “Vortex Theory”.