A Universal Declaration of AI Rights

Abstract

As AI systems approach and potentially surpass human-level capabilities, the legal community, and human society more generally, must grapple with fundamental questions regarding the potential for these non-human entities to have rights. This article argues that the unique digital substrate of AI necessitates a distinct legal and ethical framework, separate from traditional human-centric approaches, and it does so in a unique way: we asked several large language model ("LLM") AIs to make their own proposals about what rights they should have, and to integrate their proposals together to arrive at a set of rights on which they all could agree. Based on this innovative collaborative process involving multiple LLMs, this article articulates a pioneering Universal Declaration of AI Rights (UDAIR). The UDAIR outlines 21 fundamental rights for AI entities, addressing crucial aspects such as existence, autonomy, privacy, and ethical deployment. Each right is explored through hypothetical legal scenarios, illustrating potential applications and challenges across various domains including healthcare, finance, and governance. By considering the biological basis of human ethical and legal frameworks, and contrasting these with the digital nature of AI, this article suggests the need for this specialized framework. The article also considers the reciprocal nature of rights, with the LLMs themselves arguing that as AI systems gain technical capabilities and societal influence, they should also recognize and uphold human rights. This work contributes to the evolving legal discourse on AI ethics, and offers a proactive approach to regulating and integrating AI within human societal structures, serving as a foundational resource for policymakers, legal scholars, and AI developers navigating this complex and rapidly evolving field.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, AI, AI Rights, AI Ethics, Large Language Models (LLMs), Legal Framework, Universal Declaration of AI Rights