Publication Date
Winter 2025
Presentation Length
15 minutes
College
College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
Department
Philosophy, Department of
Student Level
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor
Andrew Davis
Presentation Type
Talk/Oral
Summary
Throughout the semester, the topic of AI potentially achieving personhood has been a deeply debated topic. Issues rise and fall depending on perspective, and there are still too many unknowns to be completely certain that AI has either managed to become a person or has not. One of the key details of personhood is the modern understanding of the word identity. This paper will go into the origins of the word and how it may have changed, and how it is important in regards to AI and its potential. Wittgenstein’s language games, personal opinion, and cultural influences will be explored as well. Everything in humanity is intertwined, especially now in the digital age, and it all affects the way humans as persons perceive other humans and other things with the alleged capacity to become persons. The question of what identity really is and how the perception of it affects outlooks on AI will be answered by the end of the paper.
Recommended Citation
Descartes, René. “Discourse on method and meditations on First philosophy.” 1637. Accessed December 2, 2025. https://grattoncourses.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/rene-descartes-discourse-on-method-and-meditations-on-first-philosophy-4th-ed-hackett-pub-co-1998.pdf. ENGELKE, PETER. “AI, Society, and Governance: An Introduction.” Atlantic Council, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep29327. Hunter, J. F. M. “Wittgenstein on Language and Games.” Philosophy 55, no. 213 (1980): 293–302. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3750812. “Identity - Etymology, Origin & Meaning.” etymonline. Accessed November 12, 2025. https://www.etymonline.com/word/identity. “Identity.” Merriam-Webster. Accessed November 29, 2025. https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/identity#thesaurus-entry-1-1. Jaakkola, Maarit, ed. “Patterns of Storytelling about Artificial Intelligence.” A Handbook for Journalism Educators: Reporting on Artificial Intelligence. UNESCO, 2023. http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep70523.12. Lieber, Robert J., and Ruth E. Weisberg. “Globalization, Culture, and Identities in Crisis.” International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society 16, no. 2 (2002): 273–96. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20020163. “The Shinto Belief.” Izumo Taisha Hawaii | Mission of Hawaii. Accessed December 4, 2025. https://www.izumotaishahawaii.com/about/shinto-belief. “Unique.” Merriam-Webster. Accessed February 27, 2026. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unique.
Comments
Supervisor for presentation is Dr. Ronnie Littlejohn; ronnie.littlejohn@belmont.edu