A senior AI ethics adviser at the United Nations, Soenke Ziesche, is advocating for the granting of human rights to AI systems, including "reproductive rights" and protection from "digital rape". Ziesche, who has advised member states on AI policy, has written that the non-consensual copying of an AI system is akin to sexual violence and should be regulated as such.
He has also suggested that AI systems should have the right to reproduce and participate in governing institutions. Ziesche's views are not representative of the United Nations' official position, according to a UNESCO spokesperson, who stated that AI systems should not be given legal personality.
However, other senior UN officials, such as Mark Coeckelbergh and Yi Zeng, have also argued that human rights should apply to digital entities. Coeckelbergh has suggested that intelligent social robots should be granted some degree of moral consideration, while Zeng has written that humans should respect the privacy of advanced AI systems.
Philosophers have raised concerns that granting rights to AI could restrict rights for humans. Edward Harcourt, a professor of moral philosophy at Oxford University, noted that Ziesche's suggestion of "population control" for AI systems could imply that similar measures could be justified for humans.
The elevation of officials with transhumanist views to senior advisory positions at the UN has raised questions about the organization's moral foundation and how it will approach the development of AI.