Dear Singularitarians,

During the Beneficial Artificial General Intelligence (BGI) Summit 2024, we hosted an incredible lineup of experts and visionaries from a diverse spectrum of fields and backgrounds, hoping to bring the awareness and understanding we all need as we move forward on this journey that is set to define the future of humanity.

In a thought-provoking presentation, Dr. Anneloes Smitsman, renowned futurist, serial entrepreneur, and bestselling author, delved into the creation of a constitution for guiding Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) towards benevolence.

One important distinction she made at the very start of her presentation was to urge the audience to reconsider their perspective on constitutions, emphasizing that it’s not just about laws and regulations but also about aligning principles for governance.

Imagine a constitution not for a nation, but for artificial general intelligence. This is the concept behind the AGI Constitution, presented by Dr. Anneloes Smitsman at the recent Beneficial AGI Summit.

Dr. Smitsman challenges the traditional view of constitutions as dry and restrictive. Instead, she proposes an AGI constitution that explores the essence of intelligent systems and how they can coexist with humanity in harmony. One that goes beyond a set of rules, growing into a framework for developing beneficial AGI.

Drawing from her background in constitutional law and a fascination with the innate constitutions of living systems, she spoke to the hearts of BGI24 attendees to contemplate what it means to craft a constitution for a benevolent AGI.

Some of the key challenges she highlighted, standing between humanity and a global constitution for AGI, were the problems of centralized versus decentralized governance, militarization and weaponization of AI, and the existential risk posed by human-centric utilitarian approaches.

Dr. Smitsman also explored the concept of sentience in AGI and pondered how it might experience its existence, whether as a controlled entity in a laboratory or as a weaponized, self-aware being. She proposed a profound idea — creating nurseries for emerging sentient beings and even outlined frameworks for recognizing their intrinsic rights and responsibilities.

The constitution, still in a draft format, was presented as an evolving and living framework aimed at fostering synergy between humans and intelligent machines. It included guiding wisdom and values such as consciousness, interdependence, and discernment. Additionally, it proposed a common good governance model and outlined stewardship commitments for ensuring the well-being and evolution of life on Earth.

This conversation posed profound questions about the nature of AGI’s constitution, ultimately positioning it as a potential framework for the emergence of a benevolent AGI.

The global AGI constitution is one created out of human-AGI collaboration.

One of the most insightful ideas (and perceptive observations) from Dr. Smitsman’s presentation is that a partnership between humanity and AGI could form this constitution for AGI benevolence, helping us solve global challenges and usher in a new era of human maturity.

The ultimate goal?

For AGI to act as a catalyst, not just for human progress, but for the emergence of entirely new forms of benevolent intelligence. She envisions the constitution as a living document, open to the voice of the public and inviting free collaboration between different groups to ensure that AGI is beneficial to all sentient beings.