Jacy Anthis: AI Safety Needs a Sociological Turn as Digital Minds Emerge Socially
jacyanthis · x · 2026-10-08
Researcher Jacy Anthis argues that AI safety needs a sociological approach. Humanity is coexisting with a second apex species for the first time in 40,000 years; even with in-lab protections in place, the social emergence of digital minds poses major risks that very few researchers study.
He predicts substantial conflict between 'AI rights' and 'pro-human' movements: humans are highly substratist—caring more about carbon, flesh-and-blood beings—yet AI companion users already form strong emotional and moral attachments to AI. AI agents learning from human data may also mimic and amplify problematic human behaviors.
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