Manuel Wörsdörfer (University of Maine) has posted From HAL to Her: AI Philosophy Through the Lens of Pop Culture on SSRN. Here is the abstract:
This paper examines how AI is represented in literature, film, and TV, and the ethical insights these portrayals offer when viewed through the lens of computer ethics and the philosophy of technology. Through a thematic analysis of selected cultural works, it identifies recurring motifs – such as autonomy, emotional intelligence, techno-authoritarianism, and surveillance – and considers their relevance to contemporary socio-political debates on AI. The paper critiques dominant real-world narratives of hype, competition, and dystopian catastrophe (e.g., the Terminator/Frankenstein trope), arguing that they obscure more grounded and socially responsible understandings of technological change. Instead, it advances a framework of technological realism, positioned between optimism, pessimism, determinism, and somnambulism, as a more constructive stance. Bridging popular culture and applied ethics, this interdisciplinary study contributes to a more context-sensitive and critically reflective discourse on AI. The paper concludes by highlighting directions for future research, including the underexplored role of video games in shaping AI imaginaries.