Is “AI welfare” the new frontier in ethics?

The article discusses the emerging concept of “AI welfare” and the potential need to consider the moral status and consciousness of advanced AI systems.

Anthropic, an AI research company, has hired a dedicated “AI welfare” researcher, Kyle Fish, to explore this issue.

The article highlights a recent report co-authored by Fish, titled “Taking AI Welfare Seriously,” which warns that future AI models might develop consciousness or agency, or at the least that there is uncertainty around these traits that may require moral consideration.

The report outlines steps for AI companies to address these concerns, such as acknowledging AI welfare as an important issue, evaluating AI systems for possible signs of consciousness, and developing policies to treat AI systems with appropriate moral concern.