The field of artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving, with significant implications for human thought, ethics, and democracy. Recent research has highlighted the cognitive offloading effect of AI, where the externalization of mental functions to AI can reduce intellectual engagement and weaken critical thinking. Additionally, the use of AI in democratic representation is transforming the way citizens participate and engage with political information, raising concerns about information manipulation and privacy. The development of AI also raises fundamental questions about ethics, including issues of privacy, manipulation, opacity, bias, autonomy, and responsibility. Furthermore, the concept of artificial consciousness and its ethical implications is being explored. Noteworthy papers in this area include: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human Thought, which examines the cognitive offloading effect and the risks AI poses to human intellectual autonomy and creativity. A Theory of Information, Variation, and Artificial Intelligence, which develops a novel theoretical framework to explain the homogenizing effect of generative AI on information and cultural production. What Makes AI Applications Acceptable or Unacceptable? A Predictive Moral Framework, which proposes a comprehensive taxonomy of AI applications and identifies five core moral qualities that predict public acceptability. Democracy-in-Silico: Institutional Design as Alignment in AI-Governed Polities, which introduces an agent-based simulation to explore the alignment of AI agents with human values and institutions.