David J. Gunkel
Papers
25
Total Citations
1,168
H-Index
12
About
David J. Gunkel is a pioneering philosopher whose work sits at the provocative intersection of ethics, technology, and artificial intelligence, with a particular focus on the moral and legal status of robots and intelligent machines. Best known for his groundbreaking book *Robot Rights* (2018, 370 citations), Gunkel has done more than perhaps any other contemporary scholar to force serious academic engagement with what was once dismissed as science fiction: the question of whether robots deserve rights. His 2017 essay "The Other Question: Can and Should Robots Have Rights?" (224 citations) deepened this inquiry, while "Mind the Gap" (147 citations) tackled the thorny problem of moral responsibility in human-robot systems. Going back to 2013, his "Vindication of the Rights of Machines" anticipated debates that have only grown more urgent with advances in AI. His 2023 book *Person, Thing, Robot* further challenges our inherited legal and moral categories, arguing they are simply inadequate for the entities we are creating. Through empirical collaborations examining how YouTube videos shape public perceptions of robot minds and morality, Gunkel bridges philosophy and social science, making him an indispensable voice in contemporary robot ethics.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Robot Rights370 citations · 2018
- 2The other question: can and should robots have rights?224 citations · 2017
- 3Mind the gap: responsible robotics and the problem of responsibility147 citations · 2017
- 4Person, Thing, Robot90 citations · 2023
- 5A Vindication of the Rights of Machines87 citations · 2013
- 6
- 7Moral Status and Intelligent Robots52 citations · 2021
- 8The Machine Question29 citations · 2007
- 9Other Things: AI, Robots, and Society17 citations · 2018
- 10Beyond ownership: Human–robot relationships between property and personhood14 citations · 2023