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About

Jelle van Dijk is a researcher whose work sits at the intersection of AI ethics, philosophy of mind, and human-centered design. He is best known for his sustained critical engagement with the robot rights debate, a field in which he has become a leading skeptical voice. His most cited work, "Robot Rights?" (2020, 116 citations), helped frame one of the most polarized conversations in contemporary AI ethics, while subsequent publications — including "Debunking Robot Rights Metaphysically, Ethically, and Legally" (2024) and "Robot Rights? Let's Talk About Human Welfare Instead" (2025) — demonstrate his commitment to grounding these debates in post-Cartesian philosophy and phenomenology rather than abstract speculation. Van Dijk argues compellingly that machines are not the kinds of entities to which rights can meaningfully apply, redirecting attention toward human flourishing as the proper ethical priority. His earlier work on embodied and embedded cognition reflects a deep philosophical foundation that informs his AI ethics scholarship. Beyond theoretical contributions, he has also engaged in participatory design research involving social robots for adults with autism, showing a commitment to applied, inclusive technology development.