PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

David J. Gunkel

David Gunkel is a communication scholar whose work examines the moral and legal questions raised by artificial intelligence and robots. He earned a philosophy PhD from DePaul University in 1996. He examined technology metaphors in Hacking Cyberspace (2001), machine ethics in The Machine Question (2012), and robot rights in Robot Rights (2018); Person, Thing, Robot (2023) recasts moral and legal categories for robots. He helped organize a 2015 workshop on human-machine communication, and the International Communication Association elevated the field to a full research division in 2026. As of October 2026, he is a professor of media studies and chair of NIU's Department of Communication, with specialties in AI law and ethics, generative AI and human-machine communication.

Works
217
Citations
3,401
h-index
24
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 19 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1996

    Philosophy and communication degrees

    He earns a philosophy PhD from DePaul University in 1996. His education also includes an MA from Loyola University, Chicago, and a BA with a double major in philosophy and communication at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

  2. 2001

    Hacking Cyberspace

    He publishes Hacking Cyberspace in 2001, examining how metaphors for new technologies influence their implementation and development.

  3. 2012

    The Machine Question

    The Machine Question examines whether intelligent, autonomous machines can bear moral responsibilities or deserve moral consideration. The Communication Ethics Division of the National Communication Association awards it the 2012 Best Single Authored Book honor.

  4. 2015

    A human-machine communication workshop

    At the 2015 International Communication Association conference in Puerto Rico, he works with Andrea L. Guzman and Steve Jones to organize a workshop on human-machine communication. His scholarship argues for considering machines as communicators.

  5. 2018

    Robot Rights

    His 2018 book Robot Rights asks whether robots and other technological artifacts can claim moral and legal standing.

  6. 2023

    Person, Thing, Robot

    The 2023 book Person, Thing, Robot reworks moral and legal categories for robots, treating them as artifacts with social presence and person-like qualities.

  7. 2026

    Understanding Artificial Intelligence

    He publishes Understanding Artificial Intelligence: A Critical Introduction for the Humanities and Social Sciences through Polity in 2026.

  8. As of October 2026

    An ICA research division

    In 2026, the International Communication Association elevates Human-Machine Communication from an interest group to a full research division. As of October 2026, he is a professor of media studies and chair of NIU's Department of Communication, with specialties in AI law and ethics, generative AI and human-machine communication. He is NIU's Presidential Research, Scholarship and Artistry Professor and Distinguished Teaching Professor.

Career

  1. Since 1997Northern Illinois UniversityProfessor of Media Studies and Chair

Education

  1. 1996DePaul UniversityPhD
  2. Loyola University ChicagoMA
  3. University of Wisconsin–MadisonBA

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Most-cited works

  1. Second Thoughts: Toward a Critique of the Digital Divide2003 · New Media & Society · 445 citations
  2. The Machine Question2007 · Philosophy/communication · 442 citations
  3. Robot Rights2018 · The MIT Press eBooks · 417 citations
  4. The other question: can and should robots have rights?2017 · Ethics and Information Technology · 232 citations
  5. Mind the gap: responsible robotics and the problem of responsibility2017 · Ethics and Information Technology · 155 citations

From OpenAlex, as of 19 October 2026.

  1. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers rose from 2% to 32%Includes Northern Illinois University. We estimate where leading AI researchers worked when their most-cited papers appeared. The company share rose from 2% in 1975–1979 to 32% in 2020–2024.
  2. Stanford University trained or employed 20 of the 89 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes University of Wisconsin–Madison. Stanford University trained or employed 20 of the 89 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and employment links for major-prize and best-paper winners.
  3. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes University of Wisconsin–Madison. Our estimates of where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led, from education records in cited biographies.
  4. Google has the highest combined h-index among AI organizationsIncludes University of Wisconsin–Madison. Our estimates of combined and median h-index at AI organizations, using current affiliations and OpenAlex records.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of David J. Gunkel yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. David J. Gunkel - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 19 October 2026.
  2. Hacking Cyberspace - 1st Edition - David J. Gunkel - Routledge Book routledge.com. Checked 19 October 2026.
  3. The Machine Question - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 19 October 2026.
  4. NIU Today | From NIU to the world: Scholars help create field of AI research niutoday.info. Checked 19 October 2026.
  5. Robot Rights - David J. Gunkel - Google Books books.google.com. Checked 19 October 2026.
  6. Person, Thing, Robot by David J. Gunkel: 9780262546157 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books penguinrandomhouse.com. Checked 19 October 2026.
  7. David J. Gunkel, Ph.D. | Artificial Intelligence | Northern Illinois University niu.edu. Checked 19 October 2026.
  8. David Gunkel - NIU - Department of Communication niu.edu. Checked 19 October 2026.