UVA Data Points

Author: UVA School of Data Science

UVA Data Points is a data science podcast from the University of Virginia School of Data Science the nation's first school of data science. Each episode features UVA faculty, researchers, and leading experts in conversation about the topics defining the field: artificial intelligence, machine learning, data ethics, policy, health data, and responsible innovation. Whether you're a student, researcher, or professional, UVA Data Points brings you in-depth perspectives from the people advancing data science and shaping how it impacts society. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and more. Subscribe and join the conversation.
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Language: en

Genres: Mathematics, Science, Technology

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AI Responsibility and Culpability
Friday, 23 October, 2026

A self-driving car swerves. Someone is hurt, but who’s to blame? The company? The driver? AI can’t be put on trial. It can’t go to jail, and it can’t feel remorse. So when AI makes a lethal mistake, who answers for it? That question drives Culpability, an Oprah Book Club Selection by Bruce Holsinger, professor of English at the University of Virginia. He’s joined today by David Danks, professor of philosophy and data science, also at the University of Virginia. Listen to a medieval literature expert and an AI ethicist discuss this controversial topic, because long before the age of algorithms, scholars were already asking who is responsible for our choices and what we owe to the things we create. Chapters (00:00:01) - Introduction and Guests(00:00:56) - Culpability: The Novel's Premise(00:03:48) - Complexity of Moral Responsibility(00:06:06) - Can AI Be Held Responsible or Punished?(00:07:08) - The OpenAI Hacking Case(00:09:21) - Rethinking Punishment for AI Systems(00:10:42) - Medieval Roots of 'Culpability' and Shared Guilt(00:12:12) - Distributed Responsibility in AI Development(00:14:19) - Design Blind Spots: Testing AI in the Real World(00:17:15) - Waymo, Safety Stats, and the Jevons Paradox(00:22:37) - Opting Out: Choice and Complicity with AI(00:26:50) - Autonomous Weapons and War(00:32:44) - Surveillance, Power, and Accountability(00:35:03) - Art's Role in Revealing Hidden Systems(00:36:26) - What's Next: New Books and Medieval Theology(00:38:48) - Future of AI: Predictions and Hopes(00:40:56) - Closing Remarks