At the centre of Neil McArthur’s research is a concern with autonomy. Through the study of sexuality, law and social artificial intelligence (AI), McArthur examines how individuals negotiate freedom, dignity and identity as social norms and technologies continue to evolve.

“My research sits at the intersection of moral philosophy and the history of ideas,” he said. McArthur is a professor in the U of M’s department of philosophy. Although he is focused on sexuality, law and the ethics of social and relational AI, at a deeper level, he explained, his research is about autonomy and how people make meaningful choices in complex environments shaped by law, culture and technology.

McArthur was drawn to these areas after noticing that sexuality and technology were often treated as peripheral within philosophical study. Rather than being understood as foundational moral concerns, they were framed as “special topics,” he noted. When he began teaching, there were no regularly scheduled courses devoted to them. Instead, he introduced the subjects through special topics courses until they were eventually added to the academic calendar.

The popularity of those courses did not surprise him. Sexuality and technology, he said, are areas where moral theory directly intersects with lived experience. They raise questions people actively grapple with, including how to form identities, build relationships, cope with loneliness and pursue well-being. For McArthur, philosophy has a responsibility to engage with those realities.

What keeps the work engaging, he added, is how quickly the landscape changes. Social attitudes toward sex, gender, family structures and technology evolve rapidly. New ethical challenges emerge and older debates take on new meanings. To McArthur, philosophy is a discipline that must remain responsive, adapting its frameworks to reflect how people actually live.

One of his major ongoing projects is a book-length study on the history of sexual liberty. The work traces the development of modern ideas about sexual freedom from ancient and Early Modern political thought through the 19th century and into the social upheavals of the 20th. Rather than treating sexual liberation as a sudden modern breakthrough, McArthur examined it as a long and contested intellectual project shaped by philosophers, lawmakers and activists.

McArthur is also studying social AI — chatbots and companion technologies designed for friendship, emotional support or romantic connection. He is exploring whether these technologies pose ethical risks or offer benefits.

“There are real ethical concerns around manipulation, dependency and privacy,” he said. “But I don’t think we should ignore their benefits either.” Rather than dismissing these technologies outright, his research asks whether, under certain conditions, social AI might contribute positively to human well-being, especially for individuals experiencing isolation.

Across both areas of research, McArthur emphasized that sexuality and technology are often surrounded by moral panic, where fear and judgment replace careful analysis. He hopes his work encourages more measured public conversations that recognize the diversity of human needs and experiences.

“I want to promote more nuanced public conversations about sexuality and technology,” he said. McArthur also stressed the need for greater acceptance. For thousands of years, societies have judged people harshly for their personal choices, often with damaging consequences. He suggested that ethical reflection should move toward understanding rather than condemnation.

McArthur’s research highlights the idea that ethical thinking must remain grounded in human experience, attentive to history and open to complexity.