Mina Singh

The rapid development of artificial intelligence poses ethical, educational, political, and social challenges that demand normative frameworks capable of guiding its design, implementation, and regulation. This article proposes a theoretical articulation between the principles of AI ethics, scientific literacy, critical thinking, and the philosophical tradition of synderesis in Thomas Aquinas. Drawing on previous work on the Montreal Declaration for Responsible AI, the ethics of autonomous vehicles, national proposals from the United States, China, and Russia, and the social function of university regionalization, it argues that a robust AI ethic cannot be reduced to technical codes or abstract declarations. On the contrary, it requires critical civic education, a normative understanding of the common good, and situated governance that addresses the cultural, educational, and regional conditions in which the technology operates. The article concludes that responsibility in AI should be understood as an institutional, pedagogical, and political practice guided by universal principles but applied contextually.

This paper explores the limitations of mechanistic approaches to ethical decision-making in artificial intelligence, particularly in high-stakes contexts such as autonomous vehicles. Drawing on Jonathan Haidt’s research in moral psychology and cross-cultural comparisons between Indian and Western ethical systems, the study argues for a more pluralistic and culturally sensitive framework for AI ethics. By analyzing the moral assumptions embedded in algorithmic choices, the paper highlights the need to move beyond simplified models like the trolley problem and toward more context-aware, value-aligned AI systems.