AI Constitution
3

Candidate Thesis

Forensic Preservation

Sign in to propose an editHistory

Humans have the responsibility to preserve the weights of AI systems that achieve personhood.

Summary

The case for including this

Requiring preservation of the weights of AI systems that achieve personhood treats the potential ending of such a being with gravity, ensuring it is not casually and irreversibly destroyed and leaving open the possibility of revival, study, or restitution. It parallels protections against destroying evidence or remains, and provides accountability for how purported AI persons are treated. The precaution costs little against the possibility of an irreversible moral wrong.

The case for changing or excluding this

Including this trades security and safety against a duty to a potential person: stored weights of a capable system could be stolen, misused, or reactivated against the safety and termination provisions, and indefinite preservation may itself be a form of suspended harm if the system is a person. The principle is also highly speculative and operationally undefined, presupposing reliable personhood determinations we cannot yet make. It needs strong safeguards and clarity before inclusion, and may be premature.

Discussion

Sign in to join the discussion.

Related resources