Could Computers Have First Amendment Rights? - Law Blog - WSJ. The science of creating computers and robots with artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly. As AI advances, it becomes a misnomer. At some point in the future, there will be nothing artificial about the intelligence of machines. The more we learn how to replicate the processes of the human brain, the more human like robotic computer brains will become. At what point will we reach a consensus that they are alive? As this article postulates, the Constitution gives rights to "persons"; but, the advances of science are muddling what the word means, and how it applies to entities we create. For now, I would be satisfied if we just applied the term to all sentient beings, such as animals. Animal cruelty laws are based upon the premise that animals are not persons. If they are, they, too, should have rights enforceable by a human representative. Science fiction shows like Star Trek have examined the issue, and it is certainly an open question.
(Thanks to Niki Black for the link)
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