Eric Schwitzgebel is a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside, working in philosophy of mind, ethics, and the moral status of artificial beings. He is among the more active academic voices on whether AI systems could possess morally relevant properties such as consciousness, sentience, or interests, and on what obligations would follow if they did.
Background and work
Schwitzgebel's research addresses the conditions, if any, under which AI systems should be granted moral consideration. He has argued that current philosophical and scientific tools are insufficient to definitively rule out machine consciousness, a situation he describes as a "moral risk": the possibility that entities deserving moral concern are already being mistreated. He writes frequently in collaboration with or in dialogue with David Chalmers on AI consciousness and welfare.
Positions and statements
Schwitzgebel has proposed precautionary frameworks intended to occupy a middle position between dismissing the question of AI moral status and prematurely attributing moral status to AI systems. His writing on these questions is part of the broader discourse around AI Welfare / Model Welfare / Moral Patienthood as an area of policy inquiry.
Relationships
- related: AI Welfare / Model Welfare / Moral Patienthood — writes on the moral status of AI systems
- related: David Chalmers — frequently paired in AI consciousness and welfare discourse