AIF Insights No. 19 (2025) | Sunyata and Epistemic Humility in AI Design
Release: 2025-05-18
By: CHHEM Kieth Rethy, MD, PhD (Edu), and PhD (His)
This paper explores the Mahayana Buddhist concept of sunyata—emptiness—as a foundation for cultivating epistemic humility in the design of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Rather than denoting nihilism, sunyata refers to the absence of intrinsic, independent existence in all phenomena, emphasizing interdependence, context, and impermanence. Applying this lens to AI challenges the essentialist and overly deterministic assumptions embedded in algorithmic models, especially those relying on fixed labels and static datasets. The author argues for a reorientation of AI design grounded in humility, adaptability, and ethical awareness. Practical implications include treating AI models as contingent tools, incorporating diverse perspectives, ensuring context-sensitive deployment, and retaining human involvement in moral decisions. Ultimately, a sunyata-inspired approach to AI promotes systems that support—not replace—human wisdom, encouraging designs that are open, reflective, and responsive to the complexity of lived experience.
