Here’s why AI deserves the same rights as animals

Universities across the world are conducting major research on artificial intelligence (AI), as are organizations such as the Allen Institute, and tech companies including Google and Facebook. A likely result is that we will soon have AI approximately as cognitively sophisticated as mice or dogs. Now is the time to start thinking about whether, and under what conditions, these AI might deserve the ethical protections we typically give to animals. Discussions of ‘AI rights’ or &lsquo