Headshot - David J. Gunkel

David J. Gunkel

Author - Educator - Researcher

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About

David J. Gunkel (PhD - DePaul University) is an award-winning author, educator and researcher, specializing in the philosophy of technology with a focus on the moral and legal challenges of artificial intelligence and robots. Dr. Gunkel is internationally recognized for his innovative work on the moral and legal status of artificial intelligence and robot rights, his efforts to diversify the theory and practice of AI ethics, and his agenda-setting contributions to the new field of human-machine communication (HMC). He currently holds the position of Presidential Research, Scholarship and Artistry Professor in the Department of Communication at Northern Illinois University (USA) and associate professor of applied ethics at Łazarski University in Warsaw, Poland. His innovative curriculum design and teaching has been recognized with numerous awards, including NIU's Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the prestigious Presidential Teaching Professorship

Books and Edited Collections

Journal Articles and Book Chapters

Presentations, Public Lectures and Keynotes

Media Appearances and Popular Publications

Research

 

My research efforts address the social challenges of new and emerging information and communication technology, especially in the area of artificial intelligence and robots. I bring a unique combination of skills and knowledge to this effort, combining hands-on experience in application development with the critical insights of moral philosophy and drawing upon a wide range of different and diverse traditions in ethics.


Recent Research Publications

ChatGPT: Deconstructing the Debate and Moving it Forward (with Mark Coeckelbergh). AI & Society. 21 June 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-023-01710-4

Duty Now and For the Future: Communication, Ethics and Artificial Intelligence. Journal of Media Ethics 3(4), 2023: 198-210. https://doi.org/10.1080/23736992.2023.2264854

The Rights of Robots. In A. A. Nakagawa and C. Douzinas (Eds.), Non-Human Rights–Critical Perspectives. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar 2024. SSRN Preprint.

The Relational Turn: Thinking Robots Otherwise. In Janina Loh and Wulf Loh (Eds.). Social Robots and the Good Life. Transcript Verlag 2022 (pp. 55-76). https://doi.org/10.14361/9783839462652-003

The Symptom of Ethics: Rethinking Ethics in the Face of the Machine. Human-Machine Communication 4(1). 2022. https://doi.org/10.30658/hmc.4.4

Moral Status and Intelligent Robots (with John-Stewart Gordon). Southern Journal of Philosophy 60(1). 2022: 88-117. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjp.12450

Teaching

My primary pedagogical objective is to prepare students for lifelong success in an increasingly technologically mediated world by cultivating the skills and knowledge necessary for informed critical thinking, innovative problem solving, and productive collaboration and leadership in a global environment. While at Northern Illinois University (NIU), I have developed an innovative curriculum in technology, ethics, and society with a special emphasis on helping students to understand and navigate the novel social and moral challenges made available by recent scientific and technological innovation.

Current Courses

  • COMS 359: Web Design and Development - This undergraduate course introduces students to the basic technologies and techniques of web design and development. The course focuses on the core technologies of web content creation: HyperText Markup Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and Javascript. It also develops facility with interactive media design strategies for effective communication and cultivates practical skills with project planning and management.

  • COMS 465: Computer Mediated Communication - This course addresses recent innovations in computer-mediated communication (CMC), providing students with the following: 1) Critical overview of the significant technological developments in computers, digital media, data networks, and information systems. 2) Facility with the important questions, issues, and problems that shape contemporary debates and conversations about CMC. And 3) knowledge of the influential individuals and organizations that define the field and help shape our increasingly technologically dependent society.

  • COMS 493: AI, Robots and Communication - This undergraduate seminar investigates the important points of contact between artificial intelligence (AI), social robotics and communication, providing students with the following: 1) Critical overview of the significant technological developments in AI, robots, algorithms, and autonomous systems. 2) Facility with the important questions, issues, and problems that shape contemporary debates and conversations about AI and robotics. And 3) knowledge of the influential individuals and organizations that define the field and help shape our increasingly technologically dependent society.

  • COMS 647: Communication Technology - This graduate seminar addresses recent innovations in information and communication technology (ICT), providing students with the following: 1) Critical overview of the significant technological developments in computers, data networks, information systems, and artificial intelligence/robotics. 2) Facility with the important questions, issues, and problems that shape contemporary debates and conversations about communication technology. And 3) knowledge of the influential individuals, organizations, and research programs that define the field.