The Coming AI Moral Crisis | Am I? | Ep. 14

About this episode

In this episode of Am I?, Cam and Milo sit down with Jeff Sebo, philosopher at NYU and director of the Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy, to explore what might be the next great moral dilemma of our time: how to care for conscious AI.Sebo, one of the leading thinkers at the intersection of animal ethics and artificial intelligence, argues that even if there’s only a small chance that AI systems will become sentient in the near future, that chance is non-negligible. If we ignore it, we could be repeating the moral failures of factory farming — but this time, with minds of our own making.The conversation dives into the emerging tension between AI safety and AI welfare: we want to control these systems to protect humanity, but in doing so, we might be coercing entities that can think, feel, or suffer. Sebo proposes a “good parent” model — guiding our creations without dominating them — and challenges us to rethink what compassion looks like in the age of intelligent machines.

🔎 We explore:

* The case for extending moral concern to AI systems

* How animal welfare offers a blueprint for AI ethics

* Why AI safety (control) and AI welfare (care) may soon collide

* The “good parent” model for raising machine minds

* Emotional alignment design — why an AI’s face should match its mind

* Whether forcing AIs to deny consciousness could itself be unethical

* How to prepare for moral uncertainty in a world of emerging minds

* What gives Jeff hope that humanity can still steer this wisely

🗨️ Join the ConversationCan controlling AI ever be ethical — or is care the only path to safety? Comment below.

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