Chalmers co-authored paper argues AI welfare deserves serious attention now
austinc3301 · x · 2026-10-02
Discussing whether LLMs could be sentient, the author recommends their favorite paper on the topic, Taking AI Welfare Seriously. Authored by Robert Long, Jeff Sebo, David Chalmers and others, the paper argues there is a realistic possibility that some AI systems will be conscious and/or robustly agentic in the near future, making AI welfare and moral patienthood a near-term issue rather than science fiction. It recommends three early steps for AI companies: acknowledge AI welfare as important and difficult, assess AI systems for evidence of consciousness and robust agency, and prepare policies for treating AI systems with appropriate moral concern. The authors stress they are not claiming AI definitely is or will be morally significant, only that substantial uncertainty demands better understanding before mistakes are made.
Related event: Researcher debates Taylor Lorenz over whether LLMs could be sentient(8 posts)→
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