A promising new framework for ethical AI

In the times artificial intelligence It is rapidly progressing, but raises deep ethical and environmental questions. University of Akron (ua) presented a bold new vision for the future of AI, inspired by nature itself.

Dr. John HassProfessor and Chairperson Ministry of Philosophyand Dr. Peter H. NievilowskiProfessor of Integrated Biological Sciences Faculty of Biologyco-author of a newly published research paper that proposes biomimetics and ethically grounded frameworks for artificial intelligence. It was released in June
sciforum Co-authors Dr. PawełPolak and Dr. Roman Kruzanowski of
John Paul II's Pope College in Krakow, Poland“”Towards Beneficial AI: A Biomimicry Framework for Designing Intelligence in Collaboration with Biological Entities' seeks to build an interdisciplinary framework. Inspired by Biomimikuri, beneficial AI – Enables new forms of cognition, perception and resilience.

The collaboration began with an Integrated Biology PhD classes at Akron University, doctoral students attended lectures on artificial intelligence given by Polak and Krzanowski. Their presentations prompted further discussion among the four faculty members, ultimately leading to a collaborative research project that bridged philosophy, biology, computer science and environmental ethics.

This paper revisits the biological roots of AI and argues for a redirection of how artificial intelligence is designed and implemented. The author argues that AI systems are rooted Biomimicry – Practices learned from evolutionary innovations in nature will be energy efficient in nature, ethically responsible, and ecologically embedded.

“Nature has solved problems for 3.8 billion years,” says Niewiarowski. “From the complex signaling of microbial colonies to the energy-saving structures of the human brain, biological systems provide templates of efficient and sustainable intelligence. These are models worth learning.”

The use of generator AI has been rapidly expanding in recent years – Big language model (LLMS) by companies including Openai, Meta and
Google It will be a general name. Openai's chatgpt With the service alone, you receive about 1 billion queries every day.

Each generation of LLM is more refined than last time, allowing them to take advantage of AI's rapid learning capabilities. Addressing a variety of sustainability-related issues – But that Increased demand for resources
The inclusion of electricity and water created unique problems. recently
Capgemini Research Institute Reports say almost half of executives acknowledged that the use of generative AI puts sustainability goals at stake by promoting the company's GHG emissions.

UA's research argues that many of the disadvantages of AI can be addressed through a more intentional “ecological” approach to designing AI systems and how they interact with users. It is built on top Recent research from University College London and UNESCOhighlighting simple changes to the way LLMS performs calculations, highlighting the ability to significantly reduce its energy and resource demands.

“Current AI systems prioritize scale and speed, but often overlook sustainability,” Huss noted. “In contrast, the human brain is the equivalent of a low wort light bulb and performs extremely complex tasks. If you can better understand and emulate natural calculations, you can design a much more energy-oriented AI, although potentially equally capable.”

Beyond environmental impacts, this paper also explores the issue of ethics and human interaction. Researchers argue that in order for AI to be truly beneficial, it is necessary to incorporate ethical principles like this. Empathy, cooperation, humility
– Characteristics found in natural symbiotic systems.

“We're not just thinking about whether AI can do what humans can do, we're thinking about how that should behave,” Niewiarowski added. “Do we need to work together? Should it respect boundaries? Should it help not only human needs, but also ecological balance?”

The authors suggest that biomimicry can help address these challenges by serving as a guide to how AI evolves in a way that follows life on Earth. By examining reciprocal relationships in nature, such as interspecies symbiosis, researchers propose a model of “beneficial AI” that coexist, rather than dominate the context of their human and environment.

“There's a lot of talk about human values and AI integrity,” Huss added. “However, we argue that further adjustments must be made to include consistency between ecosystems and planetary health.”

The findings of this paper demonstrate the interdisciplinary approach to UA's integrated bioscience program. It brings together experts in the sciences, engineering and humanities to tackle complex, real-world problems.

“At Akron, we've seen real innovations come from this program: inventions, patents, new ways of thinking,” Nielowski said. “Our students are already working on applying biomimicri to fields such as materials science and robotics. Applying these principles to AI is a natural next step.”

“AI doesn't have to be a replacement for us,” Huss argued. “It could be something that we co-evolve with. It learns from nature, grows within its limits, and contributes to the prosperity of all life.”

Polak, Krzanowski, Niewiarowski and Huss received the best oral presentation award for this paper. The 1st International Online Conference Journal Philosophy In June 2025. Hass will also publish his paper in September. Ethics & AI Conference
in Warsaw University of Technology.