Robi Rahman comments on Matthew_Barnett’s Quick takes

[Robi Rahman]

Under preference utilitarianism, it doesn’t necessarily matter whether AIs are conscious.

I’m guessing preference utilitarians would typically say that only the preferences of conscious entities matter. I doubt any of them would care about satisfying an electron’s “preference” to be near protons rather than ionized.

[Matthew_Barnett]

I’m guessing preference utilitarians would typically say that only the preferences of conscious entities matter.

Perhaps. I don’t know what most preference utilitarians believe.

I doubt any of them would care about satisfying an electron’s “preference” to be near protons rather than ionized.

Are you familiar with Brian Tomasik? (He’s written about suffering of fundamental particles, and also defended preference utilitarianism.)