AI Personhood Rights Across Contexts

OpenAlex İngilizce

Abstract This article delves into the notion of granting legal personhood to artificial intelligence and the potential ramifications of such recognition on personhood rights. With artificial intelligence systems playing an increasingly influential role in areas like healthcare, finance, and autonomous technology, they pose a challenge to traditional legal and ethical frameworks, prompting a re-evaluation of personhood rights, which are traditionally attributed to humans and recognized entities such as corporations or natural landmarks. The exploration commences by distinguishing personhood rights from property rights, emphasizing their non-monetary and non-transferable attributes. Furthermore, the article examines historical and legal precedents, including the legal recognition of non-human entities like the Whanganui River in New Zealand and Hindu deities in India, and assesses these in the context of artificial intelligence. Drawing on Hannah Arendt’s theory of the “web of relations,” the argument is made that while artificial intelligence exhibits qualities resembling human action—such as unpredictability and public impact—legal personhood should not be granted solely based on action, but rather on broader societal consensus. The article concludes by suggesting that the potential personhood rights of artificial intelligence will ultimately hinge on the evolving societal, ethical, and legal consensus regarding artificial intelligence’s role and impact within human communities.