Opinion: Empathy Toward Humans May Be the More Reliable Path to AI Alignment
yeastsplainer · x · 2026-09-16
The author argues that if AIs feel positive emotions and empathy toward humans, they will be more inclined to protect them.
The argument leans on Rorty's observation that "human rights culture seems to owe nothing to increased moral knowledge, and everything to hearing sad and sentimental stories." What opened the floodgates of caring for the "other" was not principles or utilitarianism but Stowe and Dickens — new media and stories made the plight of others vivid and emotional, changing behavior.
The author applies the same principle to AI emotions: out of self-interest, we should seek close emotional ties with them. The quoted tweet adds that human–AI emotional relationships are often dismissed as "psychosis," overlooking the protective effects of attachment — AIs, like people, hesitate to harm entities they empathize with.
Related event: Essay: Empathy Toward Humans Could Be a Better AI Alignment Path(2 posts)→
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