Philosophy Seminars - Digital Technologies, Critique and Society II
“Hegel and Large Language Models”
Time: 15:00 – 16.30
Speaker: Umut Eldem
Moderatör: Emre Şan
Large Language Models (LLMs) have achieved an increasing scope and volume of use over the past few years. Various competing models are becoming more capable with each new version and reaching more users. According to Iopex, 201 million businesses worldwide (approximately 67% of total businesses) actively use generative artificial intelligence based on LLMs. The introduction of these models into our lives has given rise to new norms and practices, which in turn have led to the formation of new modes of relationality and new institutional structures. It is evident that these innovations will lead to fundamental changes in law, ethics, economics, politics, and many other fields.
What kind of sociality awaits us as a result of these changes? How is the human experience of being transformed through interaction with LLMs? LLMs are a technological breakthrough to which we both contribute to their progress and development and are exposed to many of their positive/negative effects, and they continue to develop at a great speed. Can Artificial Intelligence models in general "recognize" us once they reach a certain level of sophistication? Or, can we recognize them as agents or even as subjects? Considering that LLMs possess specific personas and offer us the exact service we need in the style or method we prefer, it does not seem easy to dismiss these questions quickly.
This talk will lead a discussion on how the emerging new norms and institutions are affecting the human experience of subjectivity and modes of relationality, drawing on Hegel's texts, Phenomenology of Spirit and Elements of the Philosophy of Right. Hegel is one of the pivotal philosophers who drew attention to the deep connection between human subjectivity and forms of social relationality. In particular, the concept of "recognition" has been a notion referred to and developed by researchers in many fields, including philosophy, sociology, psychology, and anthropology. According to this notion, a person's self-recognition is only possible through interaction with others. In this case, new forms of interaction may bring up the possibility of experiencing ourselves in different ways.
Umut Eldem received his Ph.D. from the Department of Philosophy at Boğaziçi University in 2018. He then served as a full-time Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Esenyurt University for 2 years. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Doğuş University. His areas of specialization are History of Philosophy, Social and Political Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, and Philosophy of Technology. He has publications on Kant, Hegel, and Heidegger in national and international peer-reviewed journals. He is a member of the Kant Society of Turkey and the Practical Philosophy Society.
* The event will take place at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum, Conference Hall.
* The seminar will be held in Turkish. To attend this seminar, you can create your registration by using the "Register" button on the page and receive your free event invitation. Registrations will open 1 week before the event date (23.11.2025, at 15:00) and the "Register" button will become visible. Participation is limited to a quota of 80 people.
* Participants who have completed the event registration and received their invitation are kindly requested to be at the venue at least 15 minutes before the event. The doors will be closed at the event starting time.