{"id":"https://openalex.org/W7164569230","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2606.13441","title":"Why Sampling Is Not Choosing: Intentionality, Agency, and Moral Responsibility in Large Language Models","display_name":"Why Sampling Is Not Choosing: Intentionality, Agency, and Moral Responsibility in Large Language Models","publication_year":2026,"publication_date":"2026-06-11","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W7164569230","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2606.13441"},"language":null,"primary_location":{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2606.13441","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2606.13441","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"},"type":"preprint","indexed_in":["datacite"],"open_access":{"is_oa":true,"oa_status":"green","oa_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2606.13441","any_repository_has_fulltext":true},"authorships":[{"author_position":"first","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5008847407","display_name":"Joseph Keshet","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2332-5783"},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":true,"raw_author_name":"Keshet, Joseph","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]}],"institutions":[],"countries_distinct_count":0,"institutions_distinct_count":0,"corresponding_author_ids":["https://openalex.org/A5008847407"],"corresponding_institution_ids":[],"apc_list":null,"apc_paid":null,"fwci":null,"has_fulltext":false,"cited_by_count":0,"citation_normalized_percentile":null,"cited_by_percentile_year":null,"biblio":{"volume":null,"issue":null,"first_page":null,"last_page":null},"is_retracted":false,"is_paratext":false,"is_xpac":false,"primary_topic":{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10028","display_name":"Topic Modeling","score":0.21410000324249268,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1702","display_name":"Artificial Intelligence"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10028","display_name":"Topic Modeling","score":0.21410000324249268,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1702","display_name":"Artificial Intelligence"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T13910","display_name":"Computational and Text Analysis Methods","score":0.13379999995231628,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/3300","display_name":"General Social Sciences"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/33","display_name":"Social Sciences"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T12026","display_name":"Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI)","score":0.08389999717473984,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1702","display_name":"Artificial Intelligence"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}}],"keywords":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/intentionality","display_name":"Intentionality","score":0.9009000062942505},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/agency","display_name":"Agency (philosophy)","score":0.7188000082969666},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/moral-agency","display_name":"Moral agency","score":0.5745000243186951},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/probabilistic-logic","display_name":"Probabilistic logic","score":0.5620999932289124},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/attribution","display_name":"Attribution","score":0.5533999800682068},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/moral-responsibility","display_name":"Moral responsibility","score":0.545799970626831},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/moral-disengagement","display_name":"Moral disengagement","score":0.4239000082015991},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/sampling","display_name":"Sampling (signal processing)","score":0.41850000619888306}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2777200700","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q654390","display_name":"Intentionality","level":2,"score":0.9009000062942505},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C108170787","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3951828","display_name":"Agency (philosophy)","level":2,"score":0.7188000082969666},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2781439373","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11883221","display_name":"Moral agency","level":2,"score":0.5745000243186951},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C49937458","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2599292","display_name":"Probabilistic logic","level":2,"score":0.5620999932289124},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C143299363","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q900584","display_name":"Attribution","level":2,"score":0.5533999800682068},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C111472728","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9471","display_name":"Epistemology","level":1,"score":0.5504000186920166},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C111476811","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5190255","display_name":"Moral responsibility","level":2,"score":0.545799970626831},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C57996006","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6909105","display_name":"Moral disengagement","level":2,"score":0.4239000082015991},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C15744967","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9418","display_name":"Psychology","level":0,"score":0.42340001463890076},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C140779682","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q210868","display_name":"Sampling (signal processing)","level":3,"score":0.41850000619888306},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C77805123","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q161272","display_name":"Social psychology","level":1,"score":0.413100004196167},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C144024400","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21201","display_name":"Sociology","level":0,"score":0.36070001125335693},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C26918590","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7550991","display_name":"Social cognitive theory of morality","level":3,"score":0.33880001306533813},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C64357122","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1149766","display_name":"Causality (physics)","level":2,"score":0.33629998564720154},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2780791683","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q846785","display_name":"Action (physics)","level":2,"score":0.3068000078201294},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2776325391","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6917865","display_name":"Motivated reasoning","level":3,"score":0.3061999976634979},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2780589192","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7285140","display_name":"Raising (metalworking)","level":2,"score":0.30140000581741333},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C44725695","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q288156","display_name":"Normative","level":2,"score":0.28679999709129333},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C19314808","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4355306","display_name":"Moral psychology","level":2,"score":0.2768999934196472},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C41008148","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21198","display_name":"Computer science","level":0,"score":0.2705000042915344},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C95713431","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q631425","display_name":"Vulnerability (computing)","level":2,"score":0.257999986410141},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C521304379","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9476","display_name":"Free will","level":2,"score":0.2524000108242035}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":1,"locations":[{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2606.13441","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2606.13441","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":null,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"}],"best_oa_location":{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2606.13441","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2606.13441","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"},"sustainable_development_goals":[{"score":0.516274631023407,"id":"https://metadata.un.org/sdg/16","display_name":"Peace, Justice and strong institutions"}],"awards":[],"funders":[],"has_content":{"pdf":false,"grobid_xml":false},"content_urls":null,"referenced_works_count":0,"referenced_works":[],"related_works":[],"abstract_inverted_index":{"Recent":[0],"advances":[1],"in":[2,37,123],"large":[3],"language":[4],"models":[5],"(LLMs)":[6],"have":[7],"prompted":[8],"claims":[9],"that":[10,23,30,44,127],"such":[11,45],"systems":[12],"exhibit":[13],"agency":[14,35,46],"or":[15,106],"qualify":[16],"as":[17,90],"moral":[18,31,121],"agents.":[19],"This":[20],"paper":[21],"argues":[22],"these":[24],"attributions":[25],"are":[26,87],"misguided.":[27],"We":[28,108],"maintain":[29],"responsibility":[32],"requires":[33],"commitment-bearing":[34],"grounded":[36],"intrinsic":[38],"intentionality":[39,78],"and":[40,43,60,84,117],"self-attributed":[41],"action,":[42],"constitutes":[47],"the":[48,112,118],"form":[49],"of":[50,120],"free":[51],"will":[52],"relevant":[53],"to":[54,104,130],"responsibility.":[55],"Although":[56],"LLMs":[57],"generate":[58],"coherent":[59],"normatively":[61],"evaluable":[62],"outputs,":[63,125],"their":[64,85],"operation":[65],"is":[66,79],"fully":[67],"characterized":[68],"by":[69,94,98],"probabilistic":[70],"input-output":[71],"mappings":[72],"learned":[73],"from":[74,111],"data.":[75],"Their":[76],"apparent":[77],"derived":[80],"rather":[81],"than":[82],"intrinsic,":[83],"outputs":[86],"neither":[88],"owned":[89],"commitments":[91],"nor":[92],"guided":[93],"reasons.":[95],"Variability":[96],"introduced":[97],"stochastic":[99],"sampling":[100],"does":[101],"not":[102],"amount":[103],"choice":[105],"authorship.":[107],"address":[109],"objections":[110],"intentional":[113],"stance,":[114],"functionalism,":[115],"compatibilism,":[116],"presence":[119],"reasoning":[122],"model":[124],"arguing":[126],"none":[128],"suffice":[129],"establish":[131],"genuine":[132],"agency.":[133]},"counts_by_year":[],"updated_date":"2026-07-01T06:00:48.157686","created_date":"2026-06-13T00:00:00"}