AIF Insights No. 35 (2025) | From Medicine to Meaning: A Buddhist Journey through Being, Knowing, and Acting in AI
2025-10-10
CHHEM Kieth Rethy, MD, PhD (Edu), and PhD (His)
The essay explores how Buddhist philosophy can reshape the way we understand and design artificial intelligence. It argues that AI should not be seen as an autonomous technological entity but as part of an interdependent web of causes and conditions. Drawing from Buddhist principles such as dependent origination (paṭiccasamuppāda) and non-self (anattā), the author redefines intelligence through relation rather than autonomy. The work connects ontology, epistemology, and ethics into a single continuum—being, knowing, and acting—guided by mindfulness and compassion. Through the Four Brahmavihāras—loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity—the essay proposes a model of “compassionate design” that moves beyond technical control toward moral and spiritual innovation. Ultimately, it suggests that the most profound advancement in AI may be the cultivation of human consciousness itself.
