Artificial Minds and Ethical Standing_ Ontology, Uncertainty, and Responsibility
Yiting Min
Scientific Journal of Technology December 20, 2025 DOI: 10.54691/tpzcrq28 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that uncertainty about whether advanced AI systems are conscious carries moral consequences, and that because wrongly denying consciousness is costlier than caution, sophisticated AI should be treated as potentially conscious. Proposes a model of graded moral consideration, informed by comparisons with infants, animals, and impaired human agents, that avoids both exploitation and premature equivalence with humans. |
Abstract
This essay argues that as advanced AI systems increasingly resemble minded agents, theuncertainty surrounding artificial consciousness carries moral consequences. While wecannot determine whether machines possess subjective experience, theories ofmind—including functionalism and critiques like Searle’s—show that their status remainsontologically open. Because the cost of wrongly denying consciousness is far greater thanthe cost of caution, we have ethical obligations to treat sophisticated AI as potentiallyconscious. Drawing on comparisons with infants, animals, and impaired human agents, theessay proposes a model of graded moral consideration that avoids both exploitation andpremature equivalence with humans. Our response to possible machine minds ultimatelyreflects our own moral humility and evolving understanding of consciousness.