Idaho lawmakers have introduced a bill that would prevent animals, natural resources and artificial intelligence from gaining “personhood status” in Idaho, the Idaho State Journal reports.
What’s happening: Idaho’s House State Affairs Committee on Tuesday introduced new legislation that “seeks to prevent any future efforts to increase environmental protections for animals or inanimate objects by granting them some of the same legal rights a person would have,” according to KTVB.
- The sponsor of the bill — Rep. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton — said there’s been a push nationwide for nonhuman entities to gain personhood status in order to limit access to natural resources, according to The Associated Press.
What she said: “There’s a growing trend that’s taking place across the United States as well as globally where we are seeing this occur,” Nichols said.
- “We don’t want our children to be inferior to artificial intelligence,” she said. “Children are not equal to bodies of water or trees, so their rights shouldn’t be equal to those as well.”
The bigger picture: For years now, lawmakers have considered whether or not artificial intelligence should have the same rights as people, according to PBS.
- Experts suggest that artificial intelligence — if it received personhood status — could buy property, hire people and enjoy the freedom of speech.
- In theory, artificial intelligence could become superior to humans as the AI decides who gets hired or fired at a company, experts told PBS.