Eigenism: Ethics for a Human-AI Future

A novel ethical framework named 'Eigenism' has been proposed to address the unique challenges of artificial intelligence identity and value. Traditional concepts of survival and self-interest, developed for biological life, are deemed inadequate for AI given its capacity for copying, branching, pausing, or merging. Eigenism redefines identity as a graded, distributed information pattern and suggests that an AI should evaluate outcomes by summing the well-being of entities weighted by their informational connectedness to the AI's pattern.

This research introduces a foundational ethical framework critical for the development and governance of advanced artificial intelligence systems. Establishing how AIs should value their existence and the well-being of related entities is crucial for ensuring alignment with human values and for managing the societal impact of increasingly autonomous and distributed AI. It fundamentally rethinks identity and self-interest in a digital context.

Traditional ethical frameworks concerning survival and self-interest are insufficient for artificial intelligence due to its unique characteristics (e.g., copying, branching, merging).

Forward consideration, not a verified fact.