Version 1
: Received: 23 July 2024 / Approved: 23 July 2024 / Online: 23 July 2024 (18:03:50 CEST)
How to cite:
Tait, I. Lions and Tigers and AI, Oh My: An Ethical Framework for human-AI Interaction Based on the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare. Preprints2024, 2024071846. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.1846.v1
Tait, I. Lions and Tigers and AI, Oh My: An Ethical Framework for human-AI Interaction Based on the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare. Preprints 2024, 2024071846. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.1846.v1
Tait, I. Lions and Tigers and AI, Oh My: An Ethical Framework for human-AI Interaction Based on the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare. Preprints2024, 2024071846. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.1846.v1
APA Style
Tait, I. (2024). Lions and Tigers and AI, Oh My: An Ethical Framework for human-AI Interaction Based on the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.1846.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Tait, I. 2024 "Lions and Tigers and AI, Oh My: An Ethical Framework for human-AI Interaction Based on the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.1846.v1
Abstract
If an AI entity is conscious, then it deserves moral status and to have its welfare protected. Society has granted certain animals moral status and has legislation to protect animal welfare because these kinds of animals have been deemed to be sentient. This paper shows that for any entity that can be determined to be conscious, that entity deserves the same status and protection as sentient entities. The paper further develops a framework for how an AI entity's welfare can be protected, based on the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare. The extant Five Freedoms are translated into terms more suitable for artificial entities, encompassing discomfort and harms, constraints on inherent functions, fear and distress, malfunction and degradation, and resource depletion. Each of the new Five Freedoms are justified using formalised arguments and supported using evidence from animal welfare literature. The paper concludes by presenting three formalised case studies to highlight the potential stressors conscious AI entities may face and how this ethical framework can work to protect the welfare of AI entities.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
