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Brendan McCord
Philosophy & Technology
Brendan McCord is a prominent figure at the intersection of artificial intelligence, philosophy, and entrepreneurship. He served as a Visiting Fellow in Philosophy at St Catherine's College, University of Oxford from November 2023 to February 2025.42 McCord is the founder and Chair of the Cosmos Institute, an academy focused on developing "philosopher-builders" to guide AI toward human flourishing.3
In his career, McCord has achieved significant success in both the private and public sectors:
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Private sector:
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Public sector:
McCord's educational background includes:
- Degrees from MIT and Harvard Business School.13
- Co-teaching a graduate seminar on AI and philosophy at the University of Oxford.3
Notably, after graduating from MIT, McCord spent 610 days underwater on a submarine.13 He currently resides in Austin, Texas with his wife and two children.13
In February 2025, McCord joined the board of directors at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, further strengthening the institution's focus on artificial intelligence.56
Highlights
The world creates moments when philosophy matters.
250 years ago, America's founders turned philosophy into law.
The Cosmos Institute officially launches today to tackle the challenge of: 👇
Translating philosophy into code, to promote human flourishing.
Today, our revolutionary AI moment demands this from us.
The AI debate is hyper-polarized: Existential pessimists warn that AI's rise will bring humanity down. Accelerationists look to humanity's eclipse as the dawn of a new age. Both extremes overlook what it means to flourish. To address this, I took an unconventional path: Nightly, after tucking in my kids, I dove into Mill, Tocqueville, and Aristotle. Why? To rediscover the pillars that would anchor AI to human flourishing. The world needs a new kind of "philosopher-technologist." Individuals who are capable of philosophizing about code and coding philosophical insights. How can we cultivate them? Through four key initiatives:
- The Human-Centered AI Lab (HAI Lab) at the University of Oxford: Pioneering the "philosophy-to-code" pipeline. Led by the inaugural McCord Professor of Philosophy and AI, Philipp Koralus (http://koralus.net). Embedding concepts such as reason, decentralization, and human autonomy into open-source AI systems.
- The Cosmos Fellowship: Uniting AI expertise and philosophical insight by identifying individuals capable of mastering both domains and giving them the right environment, resources, and community. Apply by December 1st.
- Cosmos Ventures: Fast grants focused on AI x human flourishing prototypes, inspired by Cosmos Founding Fellow Tyler Cowen's Emergent Ventures. Seeking provocative prototypes that challenge conventional wisdom. First public round closes November 1st.
- Educational Journeys: The future is about intelligent tools--but grasping their philosophical implications is as vital as knowing how to build them. Oxford seminars bridging classic texts + cutting-edge AI, unique debates, reading groups on tech's intellectual roots, and more. Together, these initiatives form a dynamic ecosystem for thinkers and builders at every stage of their journey: From early-stage experimentation with Cosmos Ventures, to deep research through the Cosmos Fellowship and HAI Lab, and education throughout. Here's how to join:
- Engage:
• Subscribe to our Substack (link in comments)
- Contribute:
• Participate in our essay contest (coming soon--October 1st deadline) • Express interest in the spring Oxford AI x Philosophy seminar
- Apply:
• Become a Cosmos Fellow (December 1st deadline) • Apply for Cosmos Ventures grant (November 1st deadline)
- Support:
• Support Cosmos Institute, a 501c3 non-profit • Join our team We’re at a pivotal point in history, taking first steps into the unknown. Help us build AI systems that:
• Extend human reason • Decentralize innovation and control • Reinforce, not erode, human autonomy
TOOL or TYRANT: Will AI enhance or erode human autonomy? This question will shape our future.
At a Stanford University x University of Oxford collab at Aristotle's "Lyceum" in Athens, I excavated wisdom from the distant past to figure out how AI can empower rather than enervate.
The 20th century's greatest evil was tyranny: HARD despotism
The 21st faces a new, more subtle threat: SOFT despotism
Whether via AI or top-down governance, we risk gradually weakening human autonomy through the influence of enfeebling, centralizing forces.
With AI, we've fashioned tools in our own image. Tools that “talk,” “think,” & “create” like us… much better in some cases.
We're at high risk of LOSING SIGHT of the tool-like character of AI. Some already think AI is conscious, suffers pain, has personality, deserves rights. As AI tools become more human-like, we risk forgetting they're just tools--NOT overseers or substitutes for human life.
To live a flourishing life, we need to resist the dominance of rational, top-down control & instead protect the energetic use of our individual capacities.
Our CHALLENGE: Harness AI's power while defending human uniqueness & the dignity of the human person. Avoid sleepwalking into technological servitude.
Liberal freedom goes a long way here, but it needs Aristotelian improvements to deal with pessimism & passivity with AI.
Read more here:
