William B Cochran, Ph.D.
Assistant Teaching Professor
Wake Forest University
Assistant Teaching Professor
Wake Forest University
I'm a philosopher, Assistant Teaching Professor of Computer Science, and an affiliate of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University. I work at the intersection of emerging technologies (mostly AI) and Neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics.Â
In my teaching, I have developed and taught courses on the ethics of AI and other emerging technologies, and a new core course on ethics, leadership, and character for all CS majors. I've worked with CS colleagues to weave ethics modules throughout the CS curriculum, bringing questions of character, leadership, and responsibility directly into technical education. This effort builds upon my experience as a postdoctoral fellow in Harvard University's Embedded EthiCS program.
In my research and writing, I draw from my background in ancient Greek philosophy, especially Plato and Aristotle, to think through the transformative effects of AI on human life. This work draws from my PhD in philosophy from Northwestern University, where I wrote a dissertation on Aristotle's notion of teaching and its role in his theory of moral education.