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Tobias Flattery

@tobiasflattery.bsky.social

750 followers 450 following 140 posts

Philosophy professor @ Wake Forest University. Writes and teaches in technology ethics, history of philosophy. Notre Dame alum. https://sites.google.com/view/tobiasflattery/home #philosophy #philsky #techethics #AIethics #ai #robots #philtech #leibniz

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Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · Oct 19

If you haven’t seen it already, do check out our new paper on deepfakes and dishonesty! #techethics #aiethics #ai #ethics

Christian B. Miller @charactergap.bsky.social · Oct 8

New open-access publication!

"Deepfakes and Dishonesty" in Philosophy & Technology

When is deepfaking dishonest? We offer a philosophical account to help answer that question. Tobias did most of the work on this one, and kindly let me tag along.

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

“Deepfakes and Dishonesty” - Philosophy & Technology

Deepfakes raise various concerns: risks of political destabilization, depictions of persons without consent and causing them harms, erosion of trust in video and audio as reliable sources of evidence,...

link.springer.com

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Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · 2d

Indeed

Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · 2d

😂

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 2d

😭

IG newberlinlibrary

Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · 4d

Pandora sphinx moth! Ran into this fantastic moth at a medical center. Just chillin on the window, looking awesome. #entomology

A pandora sphinx moth on a window next to a hand.

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Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · 9d

Ugh!

Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · 9d

Is it just me, or is Adobe Acrobat becoming dreadful? Typically I use other PDF readers, but I needed Acrobat for something. Upon opening it, multiple additional window frames pop up, one by one (not simult.), pushing me to use AI assistance, AI summaries, etc. I just want to print! #academicsky #ai

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Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · 12d

Looks like a flooded road might be coming up in 1.8 miles? (If you know, you know.) #philsky #academicsky

Screen capture of a Google Map, with a turn at Thales Rd coming up soon.

Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · 13d

Is there new, groundbreaking research showing that using headphones or earbuds will cause one’s head to melt, or immediate infertility, or one’s appendages to fall off? I’m trying to understand why so many people (not just young) are playing videos aloud on their phones in public. #academicsky

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Reposted by Tobias Flattery

Adam Kadlac @ajkadlac.bsky.social · 19d

It is UK publication day for "The Magic Kingdom and the Meaning of Life" (from @politybooks.bsky.social). I guess it's a strange time for a book about Disney to arrive in the world, but this project means a lot to me, and I'm really proud of it. www.wiley.com/en-ie/The+Ma...

The Magic Kingdom and the Meaning of Life: A Philosopher Visits Disney World

What truths and life lessons can we take away from a seemingly trivial theme park in Orlando, Florida? <br /><br />Father and philosopher Adam Kadlac reflects on his own visits to Walt Disney World, a...

www.wiley.com

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Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · 15d

Interested in the ethics of AI-generated art? Check out this short video on the awesome work my undergrad research advisee, Ashley Li, has been doing at @wakeforest.bsky.social! (There's a bit in there about my work, but Ashley's the star of this show!) #aiethics #ai #academicsky

Wake Forest University @wakeforest.bsky.social · 16d

What counts as art in the age of AI? 🎨🤖

Ashley Li (’26) is exploring the ethics of AI-generated art, deepfakes and digital technologies alongside faculty mentor Dr. Tobias Flattery of the Department of Philosophy.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fB4P_6SSt3U
#WFUresearch #ProHumanitate

Undergraduate Research Spotlight: Ashley Li ('26)

YouTube video by Wake Forest University

www.youtube.com

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Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · 16d

Getting some love from the @wakeforest.bsky.social news folks, about my interview on the Deacs.AI podcast! #aiethics #academicsky

Should you say “please” and “thank you” to a chatbot? | Inside WFU

Should you say “please” and “thank you” to a chatbot? Sit down with WFU colleagues Ryan Scholl (Information Systems) and philosophy professor Tobias Flattery on this Deacs.AI episode to explore the cu...

inside.wfu.edu

Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · 20d

I mentioned Descartes's dualism as an unrelated aside during a day on logic in my moral problems course. After class, a student asked me to recommend a good translation of Descartes. I emailed him this photo. This week, he brought his new copy to class to show me. Life is good. #philsky #academicsky

My copy of the Hackett edition of Rene Descartes's Meditations, with Objections and Replies.

Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · 20d

Also at Spotify here:

I Think, Therefore AI Am?

open.spotify.com

Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · 20d

Concerned about AI in higher ed & society? Or excited? Or somewhere in the middle? You might find my interview on the Deacs.AI podcast interesting! We talk about AI in higher ed, AIs & consciousness, robot rights, AI friends, and more. #aiethics #academicsky #ai

I Think, Therefore AI Am?

Podcast Episode · Deacs.AI · 09/16/2025 · 1h 9m

podcasts.apple.com

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Reposted by Tobias Flattery

Wake Forest University @wakeforest.bsky.social · 22d

Wake Forest neuroscientist Kenneth T. Kishida has been named a Wells Fargo Faculty Scholar. His research measuring brain chemistry in real time is transforming how we understand decision-making and mood. #ProHumanitate #WFUResearch https://wakefo.rest/3K3aI8F

Neuroscientist named Wells Fargo Faculty Scholar | Wake Forest News

Wake Forest University has announced that Boswell Presidential Chair in Neuroscience and Society Kenneth T. Kishida is its newest Wells Fargo Faculty Scholar.

news.wfu.edu

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Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · Sep 4

Plato has Laches express well why doing philosophy can be hard: "I am really getting annoyed at being unable to express what I think... I still think I know what [X] is, but I can’t understand how it has escaped me just now so that I can’t pin it down in words and say what it is.” #philsky

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Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · Aug 30

But even if your “probably isn’t” is correct, all it takes is one civilization developing the tech in the future and running massive simulations with virtual people. If that happens, then, by his argument, the odds are surprisingly high that we’re virtual people. (There are a few more premises.)

Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · Aug 29

Love this: just got a note from a former student--from a class 3 yrs ago!--wanting to chat about Bostrom's simulation argument & current agentic AI systems. Another part of the job that I love! What's the simulation argument? See link! #aiethics #philsky #academicsky
simulation-argument.com/matrix/

What's the probability that we're living in the Matrix?

simulation-argument.com

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Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · Aug 28

Bonkerstown. $100 chicken nuggets meal at the #USOpen
www.cbsnews.com/amp/newyork/...

U.S. Open is serving $100 chicken nuggets with caviar. Here's what else is on the menu.

The U.S. Open 2025 is serving up more than just tennis, with luxury food items on the menu. And of course, the return of the Honey Deuce.

www.cbsnews.com

Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · Aug 25

The B99 reference made my heart happy 😄

Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · Aug 25

Today is no ordinary Monday. It’s Mega-Monday: when the 1st day of college classes falls on a Monday, and a kiddo’s doc appt. Thus, in accordance with the laws of the universe, when I tried to start my car this morning, it broke massively. The sound of the fabric of spacetime imploding. #academicsky

Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · Aug 22

Rougher seas ahead for CS students… 😕 #academicsky #computerscience

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/10/t...

Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · Aug 22

Indeed I even had a typo in the above post! 😄

Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · Aug 22

I assured the student that I’m indeed alive, not dead. 😁 (I also told the student that I’ve done he same typo myself, even in a few grad school cover letters!) #academicsky

A student email beginning with the salutation, “Dead Professor Flattery, …”

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Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · Aug 16

Welp, congrats, North Carolina DMV system. You’re actually worse than the California DMV system. That’s tough to do.

Tobias Flattery @tobiasflattery.bsky.social · Aug 15

That feeling when you’re like so totally prepared for that podcast interview, and you’re pumped about it despite being stressed about putting off some semester prep for it… and then you realize, one hour before the interview, that the interview is next week. Not winning today. 😆🤦‍♂️ #academicsky