Ximeng Chen is an associate professor from the Department of Philosophy at Xi’an Jiaotong University, China. She was a CSTMS scholar at UC Berkeley from 2024–2025. Her research focuses on AI ethics, particularly value alignment in AI through human-in-the-loop methodologies. She holds degrees in both Computer Science and Philosophy.
Personal Website: https://cstms.berkeley.edu/people/ximeng-chen/
What excites you about philosophy?
For me, philosophy was both an unexpected and inevitable choice. I studied Computer Science as an undergraduate, History of Science for my master’s degree, and Philosophy of Science for my doctorate. My intention was to gain a more comprehensive and profound understanding of science from an STS perspective—that was why I switched disciplines. Ultimately, however, philosophy became my profession. This was entirely because I was deeply fascinated by the works of Thomas Kuhn, Imre Lakatos, and others, and equally persistent in pursuing ultimate questions about scientific laws, causality, and explanatory power. I felt that the end of science is philosophy. So, my original aspiration was actually to become a scientist, not a philosopher. But at the time, I thought philosophers of science who understood both philosophy and science were incredibly cool!
What is your favorite thing you’ve written?
There are two things I’ve written that I love most: one is a collection of poems I wrote in middle school, and the other is an academic paper published in the journal Systems in 2023. Although these two seem completely unrelated, they represent two different aspects of me at different stages of my life—the emotional and the rational. Writing poetry requires inspiration, a sensitivity to life’s subtle details, and rich emotions. Whenever I look back at the poems I wrote back then (though most were never formally published, with only a few appearing in Chinese newspapers and periodicals), I’m always struck by how incredible it feels—the purity and imagination of a youthful mindset that could produce such beautiful lines. It’s something I’d find hard to replicate now. That’s the emotional me.
The academic paper from 2023 is my first peer-reviewed international journal publication. It addresses a very important issue: how to embed morality in AI systems. The human-in-the-loop (HITL) system was originally proposed by machine learning expert Robert Monach. It adopts a “hybrid” strategy that combines human and machine intelligence, aiming to improve the accuracy of machine learning models and assist human learning. Currently, there have been some attempts at ethical design based on HITL systems, with certain progress made in moral decision-making for disaster relief robots and nursing robots. However, there has been a lack of research analyzing why HITL systems can serve as an effective path for building moral AI and how they can achieve AI efficiency in moral scenarios. Based on the feasibility of HITL systems, this article analyzes how moral AI becomes possible when using HITL. I advocate for its application as both a technical methodology and a governance tool throughout the entire process of moral AI design. This paper has also brought me several academic awards and honors, and I am very grateful for that. This is the rational me.
What topic in philosophy do you find most compelling today?
I believe emotion is one of the most important themes in modern philosophy. Many philosophers, including myself, are researching how to make AI more ethical and more attuned to human nature. When we talk about emotion, we must mention the subject of “the human.” The philosophical understanding of the human has transformed from the modern emphasis on abstract rational essence to a contemporary view of the human as an integrated whole of body, knowledge, emotion, and will. Nietzsche’s Dionysus, Husserl’s empathy, and Heidegger’s authentic being are all philosophical expressions of emotion. Although I have studied philosophy for many years, often we do not know how much of it can be transformed into wisdom for life and practice. Nurturing emotions, safeguarding subjective feelings, thereby constructing the self, and at the same time preserving the complexity and diversity of human civilization—this will be the focus of philosophy.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I consider my greatest achievement to be the ability to coexist with “uncertainty” and to possess extreme “resilience” in the face of major difficulties and challenges in life. This is also my greatest strength. Having experienced many significant life transitions and difficult times in the past, I have gained deeper insights into many things and cultivated a strong capacity for rapid adaptation and resilience. I believe everyone seeks the stability that “certainty” brings; no one likes the anxiety that comes with uncertainty. But often we have no choice but to face such moments—in fact, such moments persist throughout life. Therefore, resilience should be a fundamental quality of a person. I am proud of having this strength of character.
What is your favorite sound in the world?
I love all sounds of nature—the sound of wind, rain, snow, flowing water, falling flowers and leaves, the buzzing of mosquitoes (if they don’t bite me, I quite like it—it signals the vibrant arrival of summer). I also love the sound of cello and piano duets. I am planning to learn the cello; I have a foundation in piano, so I believe it shouldn’t be too difficult.
What are you reading now? Would you recommend it?
I am currently reading Solar Ethics by the British philosopher Don Cupitt. Yes, I would recommend this book.
What is your favorite quote?
My favorite quote is by the Chinese philosopher and educator Mencius: “The noble man has three joys, and ruling the world is not among them. That both parents are alive and siblings are well—this is the first joy. That he can look up to heaven without shame and stand before others without embarrassment—this is the second joy. That he can educate the most talented individuals of the world—this is the third joy.” These three joys are exactly what I possess, so I feel very happy.
Jessica Castellani
Jessica Castellani had a unique high school experience attending Toledo School for the Arts, where she played in a percussion ensemble and steel drum band for six years. She earned her dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Religious Studies from the University of Toledo. Her primary focus was ‘the Self’ and the mystical experience of losing it. She earned her Master of Art in Philosophy from the University of Toledo as well, with a specialization in Comparative Philosophy, Eastern Studies, and Continental Philosophy. She has taught World Religions and Introduction to Philosophy at The University of Toledo both in person and virtually. She is a member of the Buddhist Temple of Toledo, tutors students, and has worked in the service industry for over a decade. In her free time likes to spend time outside and with her pets, friends, and family.
