Can Artificial Intelligence Increase Our Morality?

In discussions of AI ethics, there's a lot of talk of designing "ethical" algorithms, those that produce behaviors we like. People have called for software that treats people fairly, that avoids violating privacy, that cedes to humanity decisions about who should live and die. But what about AI that benefits humans' morality, our own capacity to behave virtuously? That's the subject of a talk on "AI and Moral Self-Cultivation" given last week by Shannon Vallor, a philosopher at Santa Clara University who studies technology and ethics. The talk was part of a meeting on "Character, Social Connections and Flourishing in the 21st Century," hosted by Templeton World Charity Foundation, in Nassau, The Bahamas.