John P. Sullins

Timeline

1. 2002

   A PhD at Binghamton

   He earns a BS and an MA at San José State University, then completes a PhD at Binghamton University (SUNY) in 2002 under Andrew Light. His thesis is titled "Beyond Our Biology: a Computational Study of Ethics and Morality."

2. December 2006

   Robots as moral agents

   In December 2006, he publishes "When Is a Robot a Moral Agent?" in the International Review of Information Ethics. He argues that robots can be real moral agents in certain circumstances without needing personhood, and he sets out three requirements, starting with significant autonomy from programmers and operators.

3. 2009–2015

   Roboethics at Sonoma State

   By April 2009, he is an assistant professor at Sonoma State University who specializes in roboethics, and in a Press Democrat interview he names military robotics as his biggest concern. In April 2015, he discusses his paper "Robots, Love and Sex: The Ethics of Building a Love Machine" on CBC Radio's Day 6.

4. 2011

   A Herbert A. Simon Award

   He receives the 2011 Herbert A. Simon Award for Outstanding Research in Computing and Philosophy from the International Association for Computing and Philosophy (IACAP).

5. 2012–2018

   A Stanford Encyclopedia entry

   He writes the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry "Information Technology and Moral Values," first published in June 2012 and substantively revised in November 2018. It covers social media, malware and informational warfare, and informational organisms as moral agents.

6. 2016–2020

   IEEE work on ethical nudging

   By 2016, he is a full professor and chair of philosophy at Sonoma State and secretary and treasurer of the Society for Philosophy and Technology. He chairs the committee on Affective Computing for the IEEE's "Ethically Aligned Design" and co-chairs IEEE Standards Committee P7008, the Standard for Ethically Driven Nudging for Robotic, Intelligent and Autonomous Systems. At Robophilosophy 2020, he and Sean Dougherty present "Ethical Nudging of Users While They Interact with Robots."

7. 2021–2026

   A book on the AI wars

   In 2021, Bloomsbury Academic publishes Great Philosophical Objections to Artificial Intelligence: The History and Legacy of the AI Wars, which he coauthors with Eric Dietrich, Chris Fields, Bram Van Heuveln and Robin Zebrowski. A second edition appears in 2026.

8. As of October 2026

   Co-director of CELS at Sonoma State

   He is a professor at Sonoma State University and co-director of its Center for Ethics Law and Society (CELS). In October 2025, he gives the Centre for Technomoral Futures flagship lecture, "Wisdom for an Artificial Age," at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. In February 2026, he presents "Artificial Wisdom: What Role Does Philosophical Wisdom Play in a World of AI?" at San Francisco State University, warning that AI is now on the battlefield.