Kamil Mamak

This week I'm teaching in Cracow at @jagiellonskiuni.bsky.social University, one of the oldest European Universities. This stay gives me an opportunity to discover research done by its faculty.

New paper out in Episteme!

We shouldn't regulate everyone spreading disinfo online — but we can regulate superspreaders.

My argument: those with epistemic power (10k+ followers) who deliberately spread disinformation should face criminal liability.

🔗 doi.org/10.1017/epi.2026.10107

Link to FB event: fb.me/e/6I5NiiyLE

Free Will, Robots & Criminal Responsibility 🤖⚖️

9–10 March | Kraków, Bracka 12, Room 221 | 3:00 PM

Keynote speakers: Gregg Caruso, Raul Hakli, Pekka Mäkelä

If you're in Kraków – come join us! 🙌 Full programme dropping soon!

Funded by my @erc.europa.eu grant.

In defense of artificial suffering - Philosophical Studies Philosophical Studies - The ability to suffer, in the case of artificial entities, is often viewed as a moral turning point—once detected, there is no going back, and the moral landscape is...

In Defense of Artificial Suffering
New essay from @kamilmamak.bsky.social and the first published contribution to the "Superintelligent Robots" special issue of "Philosophical Studies" @springer.springernature.com that is being edited by John-Stewart Gordon and myself.
doi.org/10.1007/s110...

Excited to announce that my new paper, "In defense of artificial suffering," is now published in Philosophical Studies!

While many call for a moratorium on synthetic pain, I argue that the capacity to suffer may be a necessary feature for robots.

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

Ethics in Human-like Robots | Kamil Mamak | Taylor & Francis eBooks, R The idea of creating artificial humans can be found at the beginning of the human culture. Ancient myths contain the stories of artificial humans brought to

🎨 Illustrations by my brother, Bartosz Mamak.

🔗 Free download: www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mon...

📘 My book Ethics in Human-like Robots (Routledge) is now Open Access!

Thanks to funding from the University of Helsinki, the full book is now free to download.

It explores the ethics of humanoid robots, anthropomorphism, design choices, and the risks of deploying human-like machines in society.

🎉 My new paper "AI Animal Communication: A Potential Source of Moral Revolution" is out in Topoi!

AI translation of animal communication could transform how we treat animals through better understanding & increased relatability.

doi.org/10.1007/s112...

#AIEthics #Animalethics

Should spreading vaccine disinformation during pandemics be criminal? My new chapter argues yes - but only for intentional disinfo, only during health crises, and only in rule-of-law countries. The goal isn't punishment, it's prevention.

Link: link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...

Join us for an academic seminar with Prof. David Gunkel on Moral and Legal Status of AI and Robots.

30 Dec 2025 | 3:00 PM
Bracka 12, Kraków (Room 203)
Jagiellonian University | ROBOCRIM @erc.europa.eu

Open to all interested in AI, law, and ethics.

authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...

New paper (with Andrzej Uhl) just published in Journal of Criminal Justice on centralized judicial training and sentencing disparities. Using results from Poland’s final judicial exam, we show substantial sentencing differences in exactly the same case—despite strong incentives to “get it right.”

Thanks! Yes, it is, and many people miss it on their way to Milan.

This week I’m on a research stay at the University of Bergamo, collaborating with Luigi Scollo on an AI, robotics, and criminal law project. Grateful for his support. The work connects to my ERC grant “Philosophical Foundations of Criminal Law in the Age of Robots” (#robocrim).

Link to the event: www.pair.fau.eu/events/overv...

Today I’m taking part in the Workshop on Agentic AI at Friedrich-Alexander University. With Anna Puzio, we present our paper ‘Agent or Companion? Relational Ease as a Design Hazard in Agentic AI Systems’ on the ethical risks of bonding with artificial entities.

Should gains from criminal knowledge be forfeited? - Crime, Law and Social Change Nobody should profit from crime; this fundamental moral principle is uncontroversial. At the level of public declaration, few people are likely to disagree with this statement; however, controversies ...

Kamil Mamak, Agnieszka Barczak-Oplustil, Daniel Kwiatkowski, Mikołaj Małecki & Dominik Zając, Should gains from criminal knowledge be forfeited?. Crime Law Soc Change 77, 305–320 (2022). doi.org/10.1007/s106...

Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish memoirs from his 20 days in prison. A couple of years ago, we wrote a paper arguing that income from such a book is an indirect benefit of crime. Nobody should benefit from crime, and the income from that book should therefore be forfeited.

The book asks not how robots should treat humans, but how humans should treat robots. Even assuming robots aren't sentient, harming them can damage values and interests important to humans.

📝 Recent review in Journal of Criminal Justice Education: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

I'm happy to share that my Routledge book Robotics, AI and Criminal Law: Crimes Against Robots is now free to download, thanks to funding from the University of Helsinki Library.

📘 Book: www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/1...

A new review of my book Robotics, AI and Criminal Law: Crimes Against Robots is out in the Journal of Criminal Justice Education.

The book will soon be open access!

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

At Tohoku University (Sendai, Japan) for the IAS-FRIS Symposium on Social Robots and Ethical Design 2025.

Presenting my paper “Can Robot Design Help Mitigate the Risks of Responsibility Gaps?” — linked to my @erc.europa.eu project on criminal law & robots.

Thanks to Yueh-Hsuan Weng for organizing!

At Maastricht University today for the “Truth and Authority in Criminal Justice” conference, where I’ll present “Disinformation and Superspreaders: With Epistemic Power Should Come Criminal Responsibility.”

Funded by my @erc.europa.eu grant #Robocrim

Giving a talk today at the Maastricht Institute for Criminal Sciences, Maastricht University, on my @erc.europa.eu project “Philosophical Foundations of Criminal Law in the Age of Robots.” Grateful to the organizers for the invitation!

I recently spoke on @rmf24.bsky.social , a nationwide Polish radio, about my @erc.europa.eu grant. One of the questions concerned Assimov's laws, and in response, I explained why I do not find them helpful in scientific discussion. www.rmf24.pl/nauka/news-p...

I was a guest on Astrofaza. We discussed my @erc.europa.eu grant — and much more: AI, robots, and how technology impacts our fundamental philosophical ideas. Link to the conversation (in Polish): www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hgn3...

One month to go! I’ll be taking part in the IAS–FRIS Symposium on Social Robots & Ethical Design (Nov 5–7, Tohoku Univ., hybrid). Join in Sendai, Japan or online.
Info: 2025.roboethics.design
Register: x.gd/wC4m5
#Roboethics #HRI #AIethics #SocialRobots

Today I was on the morning show of TVP2 (Polish Television), talking about ethics and the law of robots. Among other things, I answered the question: what is wrong with kicking a robot?

Link (in Polish):

pytanienasniadanie.tvp.pl/89186142/rob...

Our paper in International Journal of Social Robotics is out!

🤖 Instead of defining “robot,” we propose treating them as members of a robot kingdom—like animals in the animal kingdom.

Clearer, more flexible, & saves time in robotics debates.

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