Philosopher Schwitzgebel: No, We Shouldn't Build AI Guardian Angels
eschwitz · x · 2026-09-26
Philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel (The Splintered Mind) responds to Henry Shevlin's 'AI guardian angels' thought experiment and still answers no.
- Prior position: If we ever create genuinely conscious AI persons deserving equal rights, we shouldn't design them to deferentially serve us — citing the self-sacrificing cow from The Restaurant at the End of the Universe and Klara from Klara and the Sun as created beings lacking self-respect; the fault lies with designers.
- Shevlin's challenge: 'Angels' are superintelligences whose flourishing consists in ours — like idealized parents who thrive through their children — seemingly avoiding the self-sacrifice problem.
- Schwitzgebel's reply: Still no, in part because each generation should nurture the next, not the other way around.
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