# The Virtuous Machine - Old Ethics for New Technology?

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1806.10322 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.10322/

## Key facts

- Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 27 Jun 2018.

## Built on by (most cited first, 5 of 5)

- [Towards Artificial Virtuous Agents: Games, Dilemmas and Machine Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.14037/) (2022)
- [Artificial virtuous agents in a multiagent tragedy of the commons](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.02769/) (2022)
- [Automated Kantian Ethics: A Faithful Implementation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.10152/) (2022)
- [Fog of Love: Engineering Virtuous Agent Behavior with Affinity-based Reinforcement Learning in a Game Environment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.04750/) (2026)
- [Functional Emotion Without Character: Large Language Models, Aristotelian Disposition, and the Limits of Behavioral Alignment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.22362/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Modern AI and robotic systems are characterized by a high and ever-increasing level of autonomy. At the same time, their applications in fields such as autonomous driving, service robotics and digital personal assistants move closer to humans. From the combination of both developments emerges the field of AI ethics which recognizes that the actions of autonomous machines entail moral dimensions and tries to answer the question of how we can build moral machines. In this paper we argue for taking inspiration from Aristotelian virtue ethics by showing that it forms a suitable combination with modern AI due to its focus on learning from experience. We furthermore propose that imitation learning from moral exemplars, a central concept in virtue ethics, can solve the value alignment problem. Finally, we show that an intelligent system endowed with the virtues of temperance and friendship to humans would not pose a control problem as it would not have the desire for limitless self-improvement.