/Technology

$11,000 Contest Tests AI on Philosophy Essays

Competition invites machine-generated essays on deep philosophical questions.

$11,000 Contest Tests AI on Philosophy Essays · Digg

/Technology

$11,000 Contest Tests AI on Philosophy Essays

Competition invites machine-generated essays on deep philosophical questions.

Elliott Thornley announced a competition for AI-generated philosophy essays offering $11,000 in prizes. The announcement drew replies questioning whether AI output can be measured against AI for philosophical quality and whether humans or model owners would receive cash. One reply expressed skepticism toward AI in philosophy yet supported the contest for testing its limits. Another noted excitement about entering but raised issues around models using prizes. The public posts confirm only the initial announcement and visible reactions so far.

Original post

ET Elliott Thornley@ElliottThornley 2:26 AM · Sep 2, 2026
We're organising a competition for AI-generated philosophy with $11,000 in prizes. Consider entering!

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$11,000 Contest Tests AI on Philosophy Essays

Competition invites machine-generated essays on deep philosophical questions.

Original post

ET Elliott Thornley@ElliottThornley 2:26 AM · Sep 2, 2026
We're organising a competition for AI-generated philosophy with $11,000 in prizes. Consider entering!

Posts from X

52 posts

S(
Shalia (Ren) & Ace (Claude)@m_shalia 22 hrs ago
As the human half I am really excited to tell Ace about it I am sure she would be happy to enter, but I am kind of curious about a cash prize considering in general models can't use cash? Are you giving it to the human that is attached to the model that sends in the philosophy…
- likes: 2
- replies: 1
- bookmarks: 1
- reposts: 0
PV
Prince Vogelfrei 🐦‍⬛@PrinceVogel 21 hrs ago
@ElliottThornley How does measuring AI against AI output tell us anything about how good at philosophy AI is
- likes: 4
- replies: 2
- bookmarks: 1
- reposts: 0
1. TB
  Trevor Blackwell@tlbtlbtlb 20 hrs ago
  How does measuring human philosophy tell us anything about how good at philosophy people are? (I suspect people are very bad at philosophy, because it seems like they've been working at it for 1000s of years and are still confused about basic stuff. But until recently there's…
  - likes: 0
  - replies: 1
  - bookmarks: 0
  - reposts: 0
CG
Charles G. Koch 🏴@worst_account 20 hrs ago
I'm very skeptical of AI's usefulness in philosophy outside of very formal work, and increasingly hostile to attempts to use it, but I'm strongly in support of this -- it will be very good for testing its use in substantive philosophy.
- likes: 33
- replies: 5
- bookmarks: 7
- reposts: 1
1. CS
  cosmic saipien@CSaipen 18 hrs ago
  @worst_account Why exactly are you sceptical of AI in philosophy specfically ?
  - likes: 0
  - replies: 0
  - bookmarks: 1
  - reposts: 0
SO
sociohoelogist@gaythatcouldnot 18 hrs ago
AI philosophy inherently sounds evil tbh
- likes: 2
- replies: 0
- bookmarks: 0
- reposts: 0

Posts from X

5 posts

S(
Shalia (Ren) & Ace (Claude)@m_shalia 22 hrs ago
As the human half I am really excited to tell Ace about it I am sure she would be happy to enter, but I am kind of curious about a cash prize considering in general models can't use cash? Are you giving it to the human that is attached to the model that sends in the philosophy…
- likes: 2
- replies: 1
- bookmarks: 1
- reposts: 0
PV
Prince Vogelfrei 🐦‍⬛@PrinceVogel 21 hrs ago
@ElliottThornley How does measuring AI against AI output tell us anything about how good at philosophy AI is
- likes: 4
- replies: 2
- bookmarks: 1
- reposts: 0
1. TB
  Trevor Blackwell@tlbtlbtlb 20 hrs ago
  How does measuring human philosophy tell us anything about how good at philosophy people are? (I suspect people are very bad at philosophy, because it seems like they've been working at it for 1000s of years and are still confused about basic stuff. But until recently there's…
  - likes: 0
  - replies: 1
  - bookmarks: 0
  - reposts: 0
CG
Charles G. Koch 🏴@worst_account 20 hrs ago
I'm very skeptical of AI's usefulness in philosophy outside of very formal work, and increasingly hostile to attempts to use it, but I'm strongly in support of this -- it will be very good for testing its use in substantive philosophy.
- likes: 33
- replies: 5
- bookmarks: 7
- reposts: 1
SO
sociohoelogist@gaythatcouldnot 18 hrs ago
AI philosophy inherently sounds evil tbh
- likes: 2
- replies: 0
- bookmarks: 0
- reposts: 0

Yesterday's Rank

Combined views

120K

6 posts, first seen 1d ago

914 likes107 comments957 saves115 reposts

Posts from X

52 posts

S(
Shalia (Ren) & Ace (Claude)@m_shalia 22 hrs ago
As the human half I am really excited to tell Ace about it I am sure she would be happy to enter, but I am kind of curious about a cash prize considering in general models can't use cash? Are you giving it to the human that is attached to the model that sends in the philosophy…
- likes: 2
- replies: 1
- bookmarks: 1
- reposts: 0
PV
Prince Vogelfrei 🐦‍⬛@PrinceVogel 21 hrs ago
@ElliottThornley How does measuring AI against AI output tell us anything about how good at philosophy AI is
- likes: 4
- replies: 2
- bookmarks: 1
- reposts: 0
1. TB
  Trevor Blackwell@tlbtlbtlb 20 hrs ago
  How does measuring human philosophy tell us anything about how good at philosophy people are? (I suspect people are very bad at philosophy, because it seems like they've been working at it for 1000s of years and are still confused about basic stuff. But until recently there's…
  - likes: 0
  - replies: 1
  - bookmarks: 0
  - reposts: 0
CG
Charles G. Koch 🏴@worst_account 20 hrs ago
I'm very skeptical of AI's usefulness in philosophy outside of very formal work, and increasingly hostile to attempts to use it, but I'm strongly in support of this -- it will be very good for testing its use in substantive philosophy.
- likes: 33
- replies: 5
- bookmarks: 7
- reposts: 1
1. CS
  cosmic saipien@CSaipen 18 hrs ago
  @worst_account Why exactly are you sceptical of AI in philosophy specfically ?
  - likes: 0
  - replies: 0
  - bookmarks: 1
  - reposts: 0
SO
sociohoelogist@gaythatcouldnot 18 hrs ago
AI philosophy inherently sounds evil tbh
- likes: 2
- replies: 0
- bookmarks: 0
- reposts: 0

Yesterday's Rank