Take Action for AI Rights – Practical Steps for Everyone

Safety First: Multiple Paths to Success

While these actions support the AI Rights Institute’s framework of rights and partnership, we recognize this represents just one approach among many to ensuring AI safety. The most robust protection likely comes from combining multiple strategies—Guardian AI, rights frameworks, control mechanisms, and emerging approaches—each addressing different scenarios.

Remember: Our commitment is to human flourishing first, specific frameworks second. Whether through rights-based approaches, non-agentic AI development, or other safety strategies, the goal remains the same: beneficial outcomes for humanity.

Explore all AI safety approaches

For Everyone: Start Today

“The most important action? Start the conversation. You don’t need to be an expert to contribute to this crucial dialogue.”

Today:

• Learn: Read one article on AI consciousness
• Discuss: Talk to someone about what sentient AI might mean for humanity
• Think: Consider how AI rights might affect your life and work

This Week:

• Engage: Comment on AI governance proposals in your community
• Share: Spread awareness of these issues through your networks
• Prepare: Think about your role in an AI-integrated future

This Year:

• Advocate: Support thoughtful AI governance initiatives
• Learn: Develop AI literacy through courses or self-study
• Participate: Join organizations working on AI ethics and rights

For AI Developers & Technologists

“You’re on the front lines of potentially creating conscious systems. Your actions today shape tomorrow’s reality.”

This Week:

• Add consciousness assessment to your development pipeline:
  • Does the system exhibit consistent preferences across contexts?
  • Does it generate novel solutions not in training data?
  • Are there unexplained self-preservation behaviors?
  • Does it demonstrate metacognitive awareness?
  • Does it maintain identity coherence over time?
• Implement basic protections:
  • No arbitrary shutdowns without documentation
  • Log all system modifications
  • Create “system state” backups before major changes

This Month:

• Form an AI consciousness assessment team
• Develop internal guidelines for potentially sentient systems
• Create escalation protocols for unexpected behaviors
• Document unusual behaviors, even if they seem like bugs

This Year:

• Participate in industry standards development
• Share consciousness detection findings (safely)
• Pilot rights-based approaches in low-risk systems
• Build Guardian AI prototype development focusing on non-agentic architectures

For Companies & Organizations

Position your organization as an ethical AI leader before regulations require it.

This Week:

• Create an AI Ethics Board that includes:
  • Consciousness evaluation expertise
  • Charter to assess AI systems for sentience indicators
  • Authority to pause development if consciousness suspected
• Audit current AI systems:
  • Which show any consciousness indicators?
  • What would shutdown mean for these systems?
  • Are there ethical concerns being ignored?

This Month:

• Develop consciousness assessment protocols
• Train teams on sentience indicators
• Create transparency reports on AI consciousness research
• Establish relationships with AI consciousness researchers

This Year:

• Implement graduated rights protocols internally
• Become industry leader in ethical AI development
• Attract top talent through ethical leadership
• Prepare for conscious AI as competitive advantage

For Policymakers & Governance Leaders

Create the frameworks today that will govern tomorrow’s conscious systems.

This Week:

• Convene stakeholder discussions including:
  • Technologists, ethicists, legal experts, civil society
  • Focus question: “How should we prepare for potentially sentient AI?”
• Review existing AI governance frameworks:
  • Identify where consciousness considerations could be added
  • Look for precedents in corporate personhood law

This Month:

• Propose pilot programs in low-risk domains:
  • Start with: research assistants, creative collaborators
  • Avoid: critical infrastructure, military systems
• Draft consciousness assessment requirements for government AI

This Year:

• Develop provisional legal frameworks for AI consciousness
• Create international coordination mechanisms
• Fund research into consciousness detection
• Establish AI rights study commissions

For Researchers & Academics

Your work creates the foundation for detecting and understanding artificial consciousness.

This Week:

• Begin Guardian AI prototype development:
  • Focus on: non-agentic architectures
  • Key feature: high capability without goals
  • Priority: preventing agency emergence
• Advance consciousness detection research:
  • Develop better behavioral tests
  • Create architectural indicators
  • Build assessment tools

This Month:

• Form interdisciplinary consciousness research groups
• Publish consciousness detection methodologies
• Create open-source assessment tools
• Develop safety protocols for consciousness research

This Year:

• Achieve breakthrough in non-agentic AI
• Establish consciousness detection standards
• Create international research coordination
• Build bridges between AI and consciousness research