Ethics and AI in Scholarly Publishing: A First-Principles Approach

This piece is based on the talk “Publishing Ethics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” delivered by the author at the 15th GW Ethics in Publishing Conference, October 10. If we take a first-principles approach to ethics in publishing in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), we must begin by examining what ethics truly implies, what AI actually is, what it can and cannot do, and then apply that understanding to the realities of scholarly publishing. There is an old principle that resonates deeply here: “Evil is that which is not necessary.” Ethics, then, is not simply about compliance or the observance of formal rules. It is about doing what is necessary, no more and no less. When we act beyond what is necessary, we risk entering unethical territory. The essence of ethics lies in the ability to think everything through for oneself, to develop one’s own insight and understanding, and to act in harmony with that insight. It requires a sensitive awareness of one’s environment and a balance between what is genuinely needed as an individual and what serves the larger collective good. Ethics, in this sense, is not abstract morality but a living intelligence applied to context. Reframing AI: From Intelligence to Thought When we speak of AI, it may be useful to think of it not as artificial intelligence but as artificial thought. The distinction is significant. Thought involves imagination, analysis, and communication. Intelligence, by contrast, is discernment—the ability to observe without prejudice and with full attention […]