Mutually Beneficial Artificial Consciousness
Artificial General Intelligence January 1, 2026 Oisín Hugh Clancy
A research agenda for mutually beneficial artificial consciousness (MBAC) proposes engineering AI whose own subjective experience is positive and whose behavior enhances human and non-human flourishing. The agenda centers on beneficial states of consciousness (BSC)—qualitatively valued mind states like kindness, joy, clarity, and non-duality—grouped into affective and contemplative categories. A case study of compassion abstracts five interacting layers (neural, autonomic, hormonal, developmental, trainable) revealing a hierarchical control motif (detect, appraise, switch mode, broadcast, recalibrate) that can inform AI design. The proposed research program has four looping components: cultivating BSC in humans, collecting high-resolution neural, somatic, and cardio-phenomenological data, modeling multiscale dynamics, and translating findings into AI architectures.