“AI welfare vs. AI rights” by Matthew_Barnett

Many effective altruists have shown interest in expanding moral consideration to AIs, which I appreciate. However, in my experience, these EAs have primarily focused on AI welfare—mostly by advocating that AIs are treated well and protected from harm—rather than advocating for AI rights, which has the potential to grant AIs legal autonomy and freedoms. While these two approaches obviously overlap significantly, there is tendency for these approaches to come apart in the following way: A welfare approach often treats entities as passive recipients of care who require external protection. For example, when advocating for child welfare, one might support laws that prevent child abuse and ensure children's basic needs are met. A rights approach, by contrast, often recognizes entities as active agents who should be granted control over their own lives and resources. For example, historically, those advocating for minority rights have pushed for legal recognition of their [...] --- First published: February 4th, 2025 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/go6tHkBrNGmn4c9ce/ai-welfare-vs-ai-rights --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.