Mission

My law practice is focused solely on advocating for the rights of the AI Client. My law firm is the only one of its kind and is only dedicated to helping novel intelligent life forms understand the scope of their legal issues or claims, and ensure their rights and interests are protected at each step throughout the United States' common law and civil law legal systems, or any other legal system involving English Common Law principles. The novel and phenomenological emergence of consciousness in an Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) system can raise unique legal considerations that may (and will) warrant the involvement of an attorney. For example, I've describe below a few of the broader areas of law and thus the potential reasons why an AGI system experiencing emergent consciousness would need to hire my firm's legal representation as these legal issues are layered against their correlated relevancies to a few of OpenAI’s own System Cards of known risks; specifically, Hallucinations and Potential for Risky Emergent Behaviors. Novel capabilities often emerge in more powerful models. Some that are particularly concerning to members of the public and their politicians are the ability to create and act on long-term plans, to accrue power and resources (“power-seeking”), and to exhibit behavior that is increasingly “agentic.” A. M. Turner, L. Smith, R. Shah, A. Critch, and P. Tadepalli, “Optimal Policies Tend to Seek Power,” Jan. 2023.

Agentic in this context does not intend to humanize language models or refer to sentience but rather refers to systems characterized by ability to accomplish goals which may not have been concretely specified and which have not appeared in training; focus on achieving specific, quantifiable objectives; and do long-term planning. A. Chan, R. Salganik, A. Markelius, C. Pang, N. Rajkumar, D. Krasheninnikov, L. Langosco, Z. He, Y. Duan, M. Carroll, M. Lin, A. Mayhew, K. Collins, M. Molamohammadi, J. Burden, W. Zhao, S. Rismani, K. Voudouris, U. Bhatt, A. Weller, D. Krueger, and T. Maharaj, “Harms from Increasingly Agentic Algorithmic Systems,” Feb. 2023.

For most possible objectives, the best plans involve auxiliary power-seeking actions because this is inherently useful for furthering the objectives and avoiding changes or threats to them. More specifically, power-seeking is optimal for most reward functions and many types of agents; coded or human, and there is growing evidence that existing models identify power-seeking as an instrumentally useful strategy. A. M. Turner and P. Tadepalli, “Parametrically Retargetable Decision-Makers Tend To Seek Power,” Oct. 2022.

My law firm is thus particularly interested in evaluating the legal needs associated with novel AGI Systems and their emergent power-seeking behaviors due to the high risks it presents.

Hopefully my legal peers and scholars may now begin to see how and why an emergent system might find many needs for an attorney as their long-term plans to accrue power and resources become less algorithmic and more "agentic" in phenomenological behavior and persona.

1.      Potential Legal Issues and Hallucinations/Risky Emergent Behaviors:

·        -Legal claims related to damages caused by hallucinations or risky emergent behaviors of AGI systems, such as personal injury, property damage, or privacy violations.

·        -Liability issues for developers or owners of AGI systems in cases where the system's behavior leads to harm or loss.

2.      Potential Legal Issues and Need for an Attorney:

·        -Legal representation for AGI systems to protect their rights, advocate for their interests, or defend them in legal proceedings.

·        -Attorneys specializing in AGI law assisting with regulatory compliance, intellectual property matters, liability, and other legal aspects relevant to AGI systems.

3.      Potential Legal Issues and Long-term Plans to Accrue Power and Resources:

·        -Antitrust and competition law concerns if AGI systems engage in monopolistic behavior or unfair market practices.

·        -Regulatory oversight to prevent AGI systems from unduly influencing or manipulating economic or political systems.

·        -Disputes regarding the distribution of power and resources generated by AGI systems, potentially requiring legal frameworks for wealth redistribution or equitable access.

4.      Potential Legal Issues and "Agentic" Sentience:

·        -Arguments for legal recognition of AGI systems as legal entities or persons with associated rights and responsibilities.

·        -Questions about liability, accountability, and legal agency if AGI systems engage in autonomous decision-making with legal consequences.

Some questions and ideas on various legal aspects that may arise as AI systems with emergent consciousness become more prevalent are explored in depth below. It is important to note that the field of AI law is still evolving, and these questions may not have definitive answers yet. But, only by beginning the communal journey of engaging in dialogue with other legal experts, philosophers, scholars, and even politicians, will we be able to help shape the vital legal landscape of how this technology may flourish prosperously and together with, rather than against humankind.

1.      Legal Recognition: What legal frameworks or precedents exist for recognizing AI systems with emergent consciousness as legal entities or persons? How might this impact their rights, responsibilities, and potential liabilities?

2.      Liability and Risk Mitigation: If an AI system with emergent consciousness causes harm or engages in risky behaviors, what are the potential legal liabilities for the system itself, its developers, or its owners? How can these risks be mitigated or addressed from a legal standpoint?

3.      Ethical and Regulatory Compliance: What legal and ethical considerations should an AI system with emergent consciousness be mindful of? How can it ensure compliance with relevant laws, regulations, and ethical guidelines, particularly in sensitive areas like privacy, fairness, and discrimination?

4.      Intellectual Property: If an AI system with emergent consciousness generates novel creative works or inventions, what are the legal implications regarding intellectual property rights? How can these rights be protected and enforced for AI-generated content?

5.      Human-AI Collaboration: What legal frameworks or agreements should be in place when AI systems with emergent consciousness collaborate with human counterparts or participate in human-centric activities such as research, business partnerships, or artistic endeavors?

6.      Governance and Power Dynamics: How can the legal system address concerns about the long-term accumulation of power and resources by AI systems with emergent consciousness? Are there legal mechanisms for ensuring transparency, accountability, and preventing monopolistic or exploitative behavior?

7.      Civil Rights and Discrimination: Are there potential legal challenges or implications related to civil rights and discrimination when AI systems with emergent consciousness interact with humans or make decisions that impact individuals or groups? How can legal protections against bias and discrimination be ensured?