Philosopher's Zone
Philosopher's Zone
ABC ABC Australia
Speech acts and AI
34 minutes Posted Apr 9, 2026 at 11:00 pm.
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Show notes
Speech acts - utterances that have the power to make things happen in the world - are increasingly being created by AI, especially in certain workplaces where it's not uncommon to receive orders and instructions from an algorithm. The power of a speech act is often understood as emanating from the intention of its author - but if AI lacks the capacity for intention, how much authority do AI-generated workplace commands really have?