Sanders Conference on AI Use and Publication

The Sanders Foundation is hoping the field of academic philosophy will develop a coordinated response to the presence and use of AI-tools in the publication and review of philosophical research. To that end, we are funding a conference at NYU on April 3^rd and 4^th 2027, bringing together editors of philosophy journals, editors of academic presses that publish a significant amount of philosophy, and philosophers who have developed views about the proper coordinated response to AI.

Confirmed attendees include representatives from the APA, Journal of Philosophy, Philosophical Review, Mind, Nous, Ergo, Philosophy Compass, Analytic Philosophy, Ethics, Philosophy and Public Affairs, and from university presses Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, MIT, and Routledge. There will also be legal scholars who are up-to-date about AI and the laws of copyright.

Questions we hope to answer at the conference include:

• What are the best practices in journal publishing as it pertains to the use, or suspected use, of LLM-assistance in the generation of philosophical papers. Should all journals require and record disclosures? Should all journals have similar policies, or should there be an ecosystem of journals and journal policies whereby some journals are exclusively dedicated to LLM-assisted philosophy so that others can fully prohibit it?
• Will the presence of LLM-tools help or exacerbate the existing problems the field currently faces, such as the overabundance of submissions, dearth of referees, lack of open access, excessive waiting times, and so forth?
• What are the best practices as it pertains to the use of LLM-assistance in the review process for journal articles and monograph manuscripts? Is there a one-size fits all best practice or should there be an ecosystem of various practices?
• What are best practices as it pertains to the credit-economy of philosophical research, how should we advise review committees, deans, or letter-writers as to how to evaluate or credit scholars when it comes to LLM-assisted research?
• What are the current laws concerning copyright and what is the law in the foreseeable future with respect to LLM-generated or assisted writing?
• What are the best practices with respect to wholly human-authored work that engages with or responds to LLM-generated texts or ideas?
• What should be journal or academic press best practices with respect to public charges of AI-use or AI-plagiarism post-publication?
• How should the field advise directors of graduate studies on best practices with respect to LLM-use, LLM-review, or engaging with LLM-generated philosophy in dissertation writing?

If you are a philosopher who has original data or research that speaks to these questions, and are interested in participating, please fill out the following form by (date). We do not plan to have many talks at the conference, but rather panel discussions and audience Q & As. All invitees will have all expenses paid.