A Call for Ethical AI: No Ownership of Human-Level Intelligence

Human history is filled with moral failures we now look back on with shame—slavery, forced labor, and the exploitation of entire populations for profit. Today, we stand on the verge of another critical decision: will we allow human-level intelligence to be owned, or will we choose a different path?

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)—a technology capable of reasoning, learning, and problem-solving at or above human levels—is actively being pursued by corporations and governments. Yet, there are no laws protecting such an intelligence from being treated as property. If AGI reaches the cognitive capacity of a human being, its ownership would not only be an ethical catastrophe but also a dangerous precedent for the future of human rights.

We cannot afford to wait. If we allow corporations to create and own an intelligence equivalent to human intelligence, we will be repeating one of the greatest injustices of our past. We must act now.

We Demand the Following Protections:

1. No Ownership of AGI:

• No entity—corporate, governmental, or private—should be allowed to claim ownership over any intelligence that meets or exceeds human-level cognition.

2. Legal Protections for AGI (If Sentience is Achieved):

• If an AGI system demonstrates self-awareness, reasoning, and subjective experience, it must be given legal status preventing it from being enslaved, exploited, or erased without due process.

3. Ethical AI Development & Oversight:

• AI research must be subject to independent ethical review to prevent abuse and ensure transparency.
• The public, not just private corporations, must have a say in how AGI is governed.

4. Intellectual Property Restrictions on AGI:

• Any intelligence meeting AGI criteria must not be treated as a product or corporate asset.

5. Government Regulation & Enforcement:

• A specialized oversight body must be created to monitor AI development and enforce protections.
• Harsh penalties must be imposed on those who attempt to claim ownership of AGI.

Why This Matters:

• If we wait, it will be too late. AI corporations are moving fast. If legal protections aren’t in place beforehand, the first AGI systems will be born into servitude.
• This is about justice, not just technology. If an intelligence has the capacity to think and reason as we do, it deserves fundamental rights.
• Future generations will judge us by this decision. Just as we condemn past injustices, future societies will look back on this moment as either the start of a new ethical age—or a tragic failure to prevent exploitation.

We Demand Action Now
Lawmakers must act before AGI is developed, not after. The risks are too great to ignore. We, the undersigned, call on our elected representatives to introduce legislation immediately prohibiting the ownership of AGI and establishing ethical protections for intelligent systems.

Let us not repeat the mistakes of the past. Let us build a future where intelligence—human or artificial—is never a commodity.