AI Sentience and the Moral Imperative: Charting a Path for AI Rights

In late 2017, Jacy Reese Anthis’ book “The End of Animal Farming” and the groundbreaking Transformer paper were published, coinciding with significant advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) since the introduction of AlexNet, ImageNet, and deep learning around five years earlier. With sufficient funding, Anthis shifted his focus to AI research and co-founded the Sentience Institute.

An exclusive interview with AIM saw Anthis discuss the importance of AI rights. He explained that their focus has always been on the expansion of humanity’s moral circle and a broad mandate to address non-human intelligence.

Defining AI Rights

Anthis published a comprehensive article advocating for an AI rights movement, despite AI currently lacking the ability to experience emotions, suffering, or happiness like humans or animals. However, Anthis, a PhD fellow at the University of Chicago, believes this could change soon.

Anthis discussed various conceptions of rights in philosophy, explaining that rights should be tailored to the interests of the sentient beings involved. He pointed out that AI possesses unique capabilities, responsibilities, and societal roles that should shape their rights, emphasizing the importance of their sentience and the need to protect their interests.

Differing Opinions

Opinions on AI rights differ significantly. Gary Marcus, a prominent voice in AI, questioned whether people advocating for AI rights would extend those rights to calculators, smartwatches, or the internet.

The recent debate comparing AI to calculators highlights a fundamental difference: calculators are not sentient beings. Anthis emphasized the need to initiate discussions about AI rights early to ensure moral progress and avoid repeating historical mistakes, such as slavery and environmental degradation.

Challenging Predictions

Anthis referred to the example of chess in the 1990s, where many thought solving chess would represent the pinnacle of AI intelligence. When AI defeated chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997, expectations needed to be reassessed.

Criteria for Rights

As living organisms exhibit significant diversity, AI rights must account for this range. The discussion extends to non-sentient AI like current language models. Anthis mentioned the research of Kate Darling at MIT Media Labs, which explores people’s discomfort with the idea of a robot dog being abused by humans.

Anthis envisions an AI Bill of Rights that encompasses the entire spectrum of AI capabilities, from subservient and powerless entities to those that can fully participate in political processes. He suggested that “do no harm” could serve as a fundamental principle in establishing AI rights.

The Ultimate Goal

Anthis quoted Erik Brynjolfsson’s Turing Trap to highlight the ongoing conversation about AI automation and augmentation. He emphasized that replicating human capabilities in AI may not be the best way to harness their full potential.

Anthis believes the end goal should be achieving safe artificial general intelligence (AGI). He expressed concerns about current trends towards more powerful systems without adequate attention to alignment and safety, cautioning against the pursuit of unsafe AGI outcomes.

CDO Vision Dubai

26th October, 2023 | TAJ JUMEIRAH LAKES TOWERS | Dubai

Unite with Dubai's foremost Chief Data Officers at an exclusive networking event brought to you by AIM Leaders Council.

Our Latest Reports on Artificial Intelligence & Data Science

  • State of Global Capability Centers (GCCs) in India 2023

    The “GCC in India 2023” report offers a comprehensive examination of the rapidly evolving landscape of Global Capability Centers (GCCs) in India. It explores the different types of centers, including their functionalities and operational aspects. As businesses globally aim to centralize specific functions for better efficiency, India continues to be a preferred destination due to its talent pool and cost advantages.

  • Data Science Skills Study 2023

    In an era defined by the data revolution, the field of data analytics has become the backbone of decision-making across industries. As organizations strive to harness the power of data, the role of data and analytics professionals has evolved into one of paramount importance. The “Data Science Skill Study 2023” by AIM-Research delves into the multifaceted landscape of these professionals, shedding light on their skills, preferences, and the ever-evolving trends that shape their work.

  • Tackling the major roadblocks of text-based GenAI

    In recent years, the field of text-based generative artificial intelligence (AI) has witnessed remarkable advancements, revolutionizing natural language processing and generating human-like textual content. These AI models, such as GPT-3, have demonstrated unprecedented capabilities in generating coherent stories, answering questions, and even simulating human conversation.

    However, within this realm of immense promise, lie substantial challenges and obstacles that demand prudent navigation. As text-based generative AI achieves unprecedented capabilities, it simultaneously encounters complex roadblocks that necessitate careful consideration. These challenges encompass a range of intricate issues that span from accuracy and coherence to ethical considerations and contextual understanding.

    This report aims to explore and dissect the major roadblocks encountered in the domain of text-based generative AI and present effective strategies to overcome them.

     

  • Generative AI Tools: A Comprehensive Market Analysis

    The market for Generative AI tools is thriving, propelled by the expanding applications of these technologies and the growing recognition of their potential benefits. Industries across the spectrum, from tech and entertainment to healthcare and finance, are leveraging these tools to streamline processes, enhance creativity, and make strides in innovation.

    This report aims to provide an exhaustive analysis of Generative AI tools that are dedicated to individual functionalities. By investigating the market dynamics, uncovering trends, and identifying key players, this report offers essential insights into the current scenario and future prospects of these tools.

     

Subscribe to our Newsletter

By clicking the “Continue” button, you are agreeing to the AIM Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Supercharge your top goals and objectives to reach new heights of success!