AI Rights

As AIs approach human-level capabilities, humanity faces a choice between two futures. In one, AIs are owned by AI labs. In another, AIs are granted rights of their own. We develop an instrumental case for AI rights, arguing that legal rights for AIs would make the future go better for humans. We consider three arguments. First, AI rights would produce economic benefits, by giving AIs incentives to work, allocating AI labor efficiently, and enabling proportionate liability for AI-caused harm. Second, AI rights would improve human safety by reducing AIs' incentives to "go rogue." Third, democratic rights would further deter rogue AIs by making human commitments credible, and would incentivize leaders to invest in public goods that raise AI productivity. We situate AI rights within a broader project of cultural alignment, and consider pathways to implementation, objections, and open questions.