The unexpected impact of AI on animals | Peter Singer

Can AI and animals coexist? Philosopher Peter Singer gives us a nuanced take on the issue.

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Philosopher Peter Singer explores the impact of AI on animals, using historical parallels in how humans have previously used technology to exploit nature. He discusses AI's current applications in factory farming and wildlife management, which are already raising ethical concerns.

Singer believes AI should not only serve human interests, and that we should consider how it impacts all sentient beings as we continue to develop it.

He also delves into the philosophical question of AI surpassing human intelligence, its potential consciousness, and moral status, emphasizing the need for government standards akin to animal welfare regulations.

0:00 How will AI and animals coexist?
0:30 Technology has hurt animals in the past
0:55 AI’s current application to animals
1:35 AI’s possible benefits for animals
2:30 Is AI conscious?
3:25 Will we be able to control AI?

Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/great-que...

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About Peter Singer:

Peter Singer has been described as the world’s most influential philosopher. Born in Melbourne in 1946, he has been professor of bioethics at Princeton University since 1999. His many books include Animal Liberation - often credited with triggering the modern animal rights movement - Practical Ethics, The Life You Can Save, The Most Good You Can Do, and Ethics in the Real World. In 2023, he published Animal Liberation Now, a fully revised and updated version of the 1975 original.

Singer’s writings have also inspired the movement known as effective altruism, and he is the founder of the charity The Life You Can Save. In 2021 he was awarded the $1 million Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture, which he donated to nonprofit organizations working for the causes he supports. In 2023 he received the Frontiers of Knowledge Prize for the Humanities, from the Spanish BBVA Foundation.