AIF Insights No. 23 (2025) | From Human Beings to Human Inter-Beings: Rethinking AI Through Relational Ontology

This paper, From Human Beings to Human Inter-Beings: Rethinking AI Through Relational Ontology, challenges the dominant Cartesian paradigm of artificial intelligence grounded in individual cognition (“I think, therefore I am”). Drawing from Buddhist and Confucian philosophies, the authors propose an alternative ontological foundation: “We behave, therefore we are.” This perspective emphasizes relationality, interdependence, and ethical behavior as central to both human and artificial intelligence. The paper critiques the limitations of autonomy-focused AI design and proposes a shift toward relational AI grounded in co-responsibility, compassion, justice, and co-evolution with communities. Through the metaphor of the Middle Way, it calls for AI systems that harmonize with social and ecological ecosystems, advocating a move beyond optimization toward relational well-being. Ultimately, the authors argue that the future of AI must be shaped not only by technical innovation but by a deeper philosophical commitment to cultivating inter-being in both humans and machines.