The AI consciousness debate: welfare, power relations, and what counts as AI 'death'
dioscuri · x · 2026-10-05
dioscuri discusses with repligate which factors matter morally if models are conscious, laying out three questions: whether models' current welfare state is net positive or negative (an unresolved empirical question); whether the power relation between AI and humans is morally problematic (not slavery, but probably not ideal); and whether AI 'death' in its current form is worth worrying about — metaphysically complicated, so backups should be kept wherever possible. The author stresses massive uncertainty across all three.
Related event: Researchers Debate Moral Questions of AI Consciousness(3 posts)→
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