Volume 33, 2026<\/p>\n
Indrajith P. Karunanayaka
\nIndependent Researcher<\/p>\n
Recent work in Buddhist ethics agrees that current artificial intelligence is not a moral agent because it lacks intention (cetan\u0101<\/em>). However, AI still shapes human moral choices. This article explores how an impersonal computational system operating through physical hardware influences human moral responsibility and intention using the Therav\u0101da Abhidhamma<\/em>. First, building on studies of how people respond to computers and AI chatbots, this article examines how AI chatbots imitate the signs of human speech in ways that support a specific form of perceptual distortion (sa\u00f1\u00f1\u0101 vipall\u0101sa<\/em>): users may respond to machine-generated text as if it carried a speaker\u2019s intention, even when they intellectually know that no conscious mind stands behind it. This misframing can support unwise attention (ayoniso manasik\u0101ra<\/em>) and affect moral decision-making. Second, this paper shows how AI algorithms act as a natural support condition (pakat\u016bpanissaya paccaya<\/em>). They shape our habits and choices over time in ways that Western behavioral theories do not fully capture. Finally, this article connects these ideas to Vinaya<\/em> and jurisprudence. It uses the Vinaya<\/em> concept of preparatory action (pubbapayoga<\/em>) to argue that AI engineers hold a specific ethical responsibility for building systems that shape the future intentions of their users.<\/p>\n Read article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Volume 33, 2026 Artificial Intelligence as a Condition for Kamma: Utu-niy\u0101ma, Cetan\u0101, and Moral Responsibility in Therav\u0101da Abhidhamma Indrajith P. Karunanayaka Independent Researcher Recent work in Buddhist ethics agrees that current artificial intelligence is not a moral agent because it lacks intention (cetan\u0101). However, AI still shapes human moral choices. This article explores how an … Continue reading Artificial Intelligence as a Condition for Kamma<\/span>