“It’s Too Early to Ban AI Personhood” by AI Frontiers

Subtitle: Several US states have moved to ban AI legal status and reject the possibility of AI consciousness. We should keep our options open instead.

Heather Alexander, Cofounder of the Lab for the Future of Citizenship and Lucius Caviola, Professor at the University of Cambridge — September 1, 2026

Should AI systems be able to get married in Wisconsin? With humans increasingly forming relationships with AI, this was the question taken up by several state lawmakers earlier this year. Wisconsin's AB 959 would have barred AI systems from marrying or holding any other rights or responsibilities under the law, as well as declared that AI systems are not conscious, sentient, or self-aware. Wisconsin's bill is part of a wave of similar legislation introduced in 12 states since 2022.

We believe that these “exclusion bills” are premature. Some scholars believe legal status could be useful for holding sophisticated AI systems accountable for crimes and harms, and bills that preempt this possibility needlessly limit our future options. Meanwhile, scientists disagree about whether AI consciousness is possible, and legislation cannot resolve an active scientific debate. Finally, the question of whether an AI-human relationship is “real” is deeply personal and philosophical, and [...]

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Outline:

(01:49) The Exclusion Bills

(04:50) Can AI Be a "Person"?

(08:41) The Case for Exclusion

(11:12) Keeping Our Options Open

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First published:
September 1st, 2026

Source:
https://newsletter.ai-frontiers.org/p/its-too-early-to-ban-ai-personhood

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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