Evolving Together: Navigating Ethics and Meaning in the Age of AI

Hosted by Knowledge Center and Coordination on Spiritual Health and  ThaiHealth Promotion Foundation

Co-hosts: 

• King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society

• Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University

• Project on AI Ethics from the Ground Up, supported by the National Research Council of Thailand

Panelists

1. Prof. Gabor Karsai
   Managing Director of Mind & Life Europe; Rector at Dharma Gate Buddhist College

2. Prof. Dr. Soraj Hongladarom
   Lecturer, International Buddhist Studies College,
   Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, Thailand

3. Assoc. Prof. (Special Appointment) Chaipat Chunharas, M.D., Ph.D.
   Neurologist and Brain Researcher, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society; and Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University

Moderator

• Thasanawan Boonmavichit
  A researcher in the field of and futures studies

Background and Rationale

Once seen as mechanical extensions of human will, AI systems are now interpreted through frameworks we usually reserve for persons such as consciousness and intentions. In Daniel Dennett’s intentional stance (1987), human interprets systems as if they have beliefs and goals to better predict and interact with their behavior. Meanwhile, fields like neuroscience and behaviorism apply mechanistic models to human minds, further blurring the line between human and machine.

Emerging theories like Integrated Information Theory propose that consciousness may be a fundamental property of the universe, not exclusive to biological beings. This shift has profound ethical implications. According to Dorobantu (2022), drawing on Bostrom, AI is assuming roles such as oracle (all-knowing), genie (all-powerful), and sovereign (all-governing)—archetypes that open new possibilities but also present existential risks.

AI is increasingly present in everyday life and, for some, even offers forms of spiritual guidance, highlighting its potential for contemplative and ethical functions. Yet this promise is shadowed by dangers: misinformation, surveillance, algorithmic bias, and chatbot-induced emotional harm. Figures like Pope Leo XIV (2025) and Al-Kassimi (2023) warn that unchecked AI development could erode moral agency, spiritual awareness, and human uniqueness.

Philosopher Martin Heidegger (1977) warns that it is not technology itself but our relationship to it—how we frame ourselves and the world as mere resources—that threatens human essence. With AI's development accelerating, critical questions arise: What levels of consciousness and intentionality inform AI design? What cultural and ethical values guide its use? If harm results, who bears responsibility—developers, users, or AI? And finally, what kind of consciousness we’re moving towards.

This session builds on emerging interdisciplinary insights into the evolving relationship between human and artificial consciousness. Drawing from recent research by scholars at Mind & Life Europe, along with perspectives from neuroscience, Thai developers of Buddhadasa Chatbot, and an academic philosopher, the session will provide a practical lens through which to assess the potential and limitations of AI in supporting human ethical and spiritual development. Taken together, these contributions invite a collective inquiry into the future of "hybrid consciousness" and offer a timely opportunity to formulate ethical recommendations for AI policy grounded in arising new consciousness.

Objective

To investigate how artificial intelligence intersects with human consciousness, ethics, and cultural values—drawing from neuroscience, philosophy, academic, and contemplative traditions—in order to generate ethically informed and culturally grounded insights for the responsible development and governance of AI.

Key Issues

• Current understanding of human consciousness and artificial intelligence from the latest research

• The nature of the relationship between human consciousness and AI

• Possibilities and pathways for the next stage of “HumAInity”: co-evolution between humanity and artificial intelligence

• Recommendations for all stakeholders—developers, users, and regulators—towards building a better world

Expected outcomes

1. Preliminary recommendations for AI governance that honors the spiritual dignity of human life.

2. Improved understanding of the ethical and cultural implications of emerging forms of human–AI consciousness.

3. Practical reflections on how AI can support (or challenge) spiritual and ethical development, drawn from real-world examples.

Agenda 

Introduction Moderator’s Framing / Introducing speaker

Consciousness & Learning from neuroscience

by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chaipat Chunharas, Neurologist and Brain Researcher

• • Human learning vs. AI learning. Where do human and artificial minds meet? 

  • Where is Thailand in the discourse on AI mind, human mind, and hybrid mind? What does research (Thai and global) suggest?

Research Frontiers: International Perspective 

by Prof. Gabor Karsai, Managing Director of Mind & Life Europe and Rector at Dharma Gate Buddhist College

• What is being revealed about future consciousness and intelligence? (current research from Mind and Life Europe) 

• How does it help us imagine or shape what's next?

AI from Buddhist point of view and Moral imagination

by Prof. Dr. Soraj Hongladarom, Professor of Philosophy

• What are Buddhist philosophy Perspectives on AI, Consciousness, Evolution and learning? 

• On Moral Agency, Compassionate AI and Machine Enlightenment, and how we can shape it? 

Panel discussion 

How can policymakers, developers, and users shape the next stage of “HumAInity”—the co-evolution of human and artificial intelligence toward building a better world, aligning with ethical governance, human dignity, and our highest shared values?

Open discussion

Coordinator

Ms. Rujirat Leardudomchoke
Knowledge Center and Coordination on Spiritual Health  
Email: rujirat.d@gmail.com

Registration

Please kindly register by Sunday, June 22, 2025 at: https://bit.ly/cu24june

Attendance is free of charge. RSVP while available space lasts. Snacks and lunch will be provided for registered participants.

For those unable to attend in person, the event will be live-streamed via the Jitwiwat Facebook page

Summary (in Thai)

• สรุปการเสวนา