Philosophies & Movements
Categorical imperative
The philosopher Immanuel Kant's test for whether an action is moral: act only on rules you could will to become universal laws for everyone, and never treat people merely as means to an end. It comes up in AI ethics debates as a contrast to outcome-only reasoning — for example, in arguments that deceptive or manipulative AI behavior is wrong even when it produces good results.
Origin
Introduced by Immanuel Kant in his 1785 Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. The term is a cornerstone of duty-based ethics (deontology); its use in AI discussions is a modern application, not a coinage by any AI researcher.