David J. Gunkel | Lightnews

David Gunkel

@davidgunkel.bsky.social

2.2K followers 2.3K following 650 posts

Professor - Northern Illinois University (USA). Award-winning author of the books The Machine Question, Robot Rights, Person-Thing-Robot, Of Remixology, and Deconstruction. https://gunkelweb.com

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David J. Gunkel is an American academic and Presidential Teaching Professor of Communication Studies at Northern Illinois University. He teaches courses in web design and programming, information and communication technology (ICT), and cyberculture. His research and publications examine the philosophical assumptions and ethical consequences of ICT. .. more

Neuroscience 27%

Computer science 13%

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David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · Nov 15

Professional Raison d'être:
I apply the theory and practice of #Deconstruction to emerging technology (#Algorithms, #AI, #robots, etc.), overturning and disrupting the traditional binary oppositions by which we have made sense of our tools and ourselves. mitpress.mit.edu/978026254247...

Deconstruction

An accessible introduction to a concept often considered impossibly abstruse, demonstrating its power as a conceptual tool in the twenty-first century.This v...

mitpress.mit.edu

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 14h

Newly published interview in "Fuori Luogo. Journal of Sociology of the Territory, Tourism, Technology"
serena.sharepress.it/index.php/fu...

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 1d

Nice! This is your "told you so" moment.

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 4d

First single from the Trash Kickers, featuring Stanisław Gunkel on guitar and production. When I first heard it, I thought it must have been early Dictators..which just means we have not heard stuff like this for a few decades. Highly recommended.
open.spotify.com/track/4eHKJT...

Signage

open.spotify.com

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 4d

- Publication Alert -
"Nominal Problems: From Artificial Intelligence to Cybernetics." Focus article in the latest issue of "Reti Saperi Linguaggi" the Italian Journal of Cognitive Sciences. www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.12832...

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 4d

The one slide from my presentation for the @sentientfutures.bsky.social Summit that pretty much sums up everything I am going to be talking about. 8 February 2026, San Francisco USA www.sentientfutures.ai/sfsbay2026

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 7d

Do you even have to ask?

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 9d

Who needs all that air anyways?

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 10d

The Peoples Republic of California (PRC)

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 10d

A pilsner that I do not know? How is that possible?

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 13d

I teamed up with @annapuzio.bsky.social and @joshgellers.bsky.social to write this polemic response to recent criticisms of the relational turn in #AIEthics, including the recently published "Dangerous Liaisons" from Adrienne de Ruiter. @springer.springernature.com
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 13d

It's a stream of consciousness. Thank you for letting us come along for the ride.

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 13d

I had the opportunity to talk with Thomas Macaulay for his recent piece about the invisible human labor behind #AI. Published today in @agiethicsnews.bsky.social. And it's always a pleasure to share the spotlight with the incomparable Julie Carpenter. agi.fightersteel.com/hidden-human...

Hidden human labor is distorting perceptions of AGI

At a Warner Bros studio near Hollywood in the fall of 2024, Tesla staged a glitzy showcase of its AI progress. Acting as master of ceremonies, Elon Musk introdu

agi.fightersteel.com

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 15d

What's an #AI music experiment like The Big Dada Project to do when a platform like @bandcamp.com issues a blanket prohibition against #AI generated content? Easy answer, generate a song about it. gunkelweb.com/BigDada
youtube.com/shorts/BfJBd...

Bandcamp Banned My Robot - The Big Dada Project (2026)

YouTube video by David Gunkel

youtube.com

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 16d

#Derrida & #AI is having a moment.
New essay from Víctor Betriu Yáñez and published in OLR. With shout-outs to three of my recent publications on this subject. (@philiplaughlin.bsky.social good timing for "The Différance Engine" book @mitpress.bsky.social)

olrsupplement.com/2026/01/15/i...

Is a Derridean Critique of Generative AI Possible? Writing Machines and Logocentrism without Subject - The OLR Supplement

Finally, a critique of AI that deconstructs the humanist subject on which most existing critiques rely

olrsupplement.com

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 17d

The Machine Question: Rethinking Moral Philosophy in the Face of Others. - My chapter for "Robophilosophy" @mitpress.bsky.social The book is now available #OpenAccess and you can get your own copy by following this link:
direct.mit.edu/books/oa-edi...

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 18d

As much as I love the Alfred Jarry play, I don't think I was prepared for the recent staging of it as an immersive experience.

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 19d

What's the point of waiting for the debates about #AI #consciousness to be resolved? Rights are a no brainer. direct.mit.edu/books/oa-mon...

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 19d

Just completed the final item--the Acknowledgments--for the "Understanding Artificial Intelligence" book, coming soon from @politybooks.bsky.social And like "The Machine Question" @mitpress.bsky.social 2012, I again conclude by thanking the machines.

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 19d

Finally something about #LLM involvement in academic publishing that gets it right. The problem is not #AISlop vs. genuine human generated content. The problem--actually the opportunity AND challenge--is "Automatenwissenschaft." Short essay by @seva.bsky.social
hegemon.substack.com/p/the-age-of...

The Age of Academic Slop is Upon Us

what happens when AI automates "normal science"?

hegemon.substack.com

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 20d

Today is publication release date for "Robophilosophy" edited by Johanna Seibt, @raulhakli.bsky.social and Marco Nørskov. My contribution (chapter one) is titled "The Machine Question: Rethinking Moral Philosophy in the Face of Others." @mitpress.bsky.social mitpress.mit.edu/978026204498...

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 23d

Must have been delicious.

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 23d

Airbus...decent airplane.

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 23d

Airplane food...and I used the word "food" with some hesitation.

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 25d

Excellent...see you soon.

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 25d

I was interviewed for and quoted in this @zdnet.bsky.social article on Chatbots written by Webb Wright.
www.zdnet.com/article/how-...

The sneaky ways AI chatbots keep you hooked - and coming back for more

The rise of social media turned human attention into a commodity. Now, the AI race is taking that to new heights.

www.zdnet.com

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 25d

I was--along with @drkatedevlin.bsky.social--quoted in this new @wired.com article from Reece Rogers.
www.wired.com/story/expire...

AI Labor Is Boring. AI Lust Is Big Business

After years of hype about generative AI increasing productivity and making lives easier, 2025 was the year erotic chatbots defined AI’s narrative.

www.wired.com

Reposted by Mark Coeckelbergh

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 25d

Chinese translation of the book that I recently wrote with @coeckelbergh.bsky.social "Communicative AI" @politybooks.bsky.social has just been published and is now available. www.taaze.tw/products/111...

當AI取得話語權，人類還剩下什麼？：以當代哲學與溝通理論探討AI的語言、意識與作者權威性問題- TAAZE 讀冊生活

當AI取得話語權，人類還剩下什麼？：以當代哲學與溝通理論探討AI的語言、意識與作者權威性問題. Communicative AI: A Critical Introduction to Large Language Models. 馬克．科克爾柏格、大衛．岡克爾. 江鈺婷. 商周出版. 9786263907829. Chat GPT、Gemini、Grok、Claude...各種AI工具現世，能寫...

www.taaze.tw

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 26d

I had the opportunity to read and provide a blurb/review for the new book from @svennyholm.bsky.social "The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence" @hackettpub.bsky.social

hackettpublishing.com/new-forthcom...

Sven Nyholm @svennyholm.bsky.social · 26d

Coming soon: my new book *The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: A Philosophical Introduction*. More info - including three very generous blurbs from @davidgunkel.bsky.social, @briandavidearp.bsky.social, & Crystal L'Hote, PhD - here: hackettpublishing.com/new-forthcom...
#aiethics #philosophy

Reposted by David J. Gunkel

Sven Nyholm @svennyholm.bsky.social · 26d

David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 27d

There isn't one planned. But if it would help you, we can certainly do a volume three.

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