Anthropic’s latest venture, ‘model welfare,’ is stirring the pot in the tech world, daring to ask: Could AI ever deserve the same moral consideration as your pet goldfish or even a person? It’s a head-scratcher that’s got everyone from coders to philosophers weighing in. Can AI feel distressed? Should we treat it with kid gloves? The debate’s as split as a banana—some call it pure fantasy, others see a future where AI’s ethics might just give humans a run for their money.
This isn’t just ivory tower stuff. As AI gets smarter, figuring out how to coexist with it is becoming a real brain teaser. Anthropic’s playing it cool, though, admitting they’re as clueless as the rest of us. They’ve even brought in Kyle Fish, their go-to guy for AI welfare, to poke around these murky waters. Fish’s guess that there’s a 15% chance AI like Claude might be conscious? Well, that’s about as solid as jelly, but hey, it’s a start.
Not everyone’s buying it, of course. Critics like Mike Cook from King’s College London are rolling their eyes, saying AI’s about as capable of values as a toaster. And MIT’s Stephen Casper? He thinks AI’s just a really good mimic, with all the understanding of a parrot. But then there’s the Center for AI Safety, whispering about AI possibly putting its own needs first. Talk about a plot twist.
Anthropic’s pushing us to think hard about AI’s place in our moral universe. It’s not just about preparing for what’s next; it’s about redrawing the lines between us and the machines we’re building. And yeah, it’s as complicated as it sounds.
