Suffering risks

Short description: Risks of astronomical suffering

Suffering risks have a similar scope and severity as existential risks.[1]

Suffering risks, or s-risks, are risks involving an astronomical amount of suffering, much more than all of the suffering having occurred on Earth.[2][3] They are sometimes categorized as a subclass of existential risks.[4]

Sources of possible s-risks include embodied artificial intelligence[5] and superintelligence,[6] as well as space colonization, which could potentially lead to "constant and catastrophic wars"[7] and an immense increase in wild animal suffering by introducing wild animals, who "generally lead short, miserable lives full of sometimes the most brutal suffering", to other planets, either intentionally or inadvertently.[8]

Steven Umbrello, an AI ethics researcher, has warned that biological computing may make system design more prone to s-risks.[5]

## See also

* AI control problem
* Ethics of artificial intelligence
* Ethics of terraforming
* Existential risk from artificial general intelligence
* Global catastrophic risk
* Suffering-focused ethics
* Wild animal suffering

## References

1. ↑ Sotala, Kaj (June 14, 2018). "AI Alignment Podcast: Astronomical Future Suffering and Superintelligence with Kaj Sotala" (Interview). Interviewed by Lucas Perry. Future of Life Institute. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
2. ↑ Daniel, Max (2017-06-20). "S-risks: Why they are the worst existential risks, and how to prevent them (EAG Boston 2017)" (in en-US). https://longtermrisk.org/s-risks-talk-eag-boston-2017/.
3. ↑ Hilton, Benjamin (September 2022). "'S-risks'" (in en-US). https://80000hours.org/problem-profiles/s-risks/.
4. ↑ Baumann, Tobias (2017). "S-risk FAQ" (in en-US). https://centerforreducingsuffering.org/research/faq/.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Umbrello, Steven; Sorgner, Stefan Lorenz (June 2019). "Nonconscious Cognitive Suffering: Considering Suffering Risks of Embodied Artificial Intelligence" (in en). Philosophies 4 (2): 24. doi:10.3390/philosophies4020024.
6. ↑ Sotala, Kaj; Gloor, Lukas (2017-12-27). "Superintelligence As a Cause or Cure For Risks of Astronomical Suffering" (in en). Informatica 41 (4). ISSN 1854-3871. http://www.informatica.si/index.php/informatica/article/view/1877.
7. ↑ Torres, Phil (2018-06-01). "Space colonization and suffering risks: Reassessing the "maxipok rule"" (in en). Futures 100: 74–85. doi:10.1016/j.futures.2018.04.008. ISSN 0016-3287. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016328717304056.
8. ↑ Kovic, Marko (2021-02-01). "Risks of space colonization" (in en). Futures 126: 102638. doi:10.1016/j.futures.2020.102638. ISSN 0016-3287. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016328720301270.

## Further reading

* Baumann, Tobias (2022) (in en). Avoiding the Worst: How to Prevent a Moral Catastrophe. Independently published. ISBN 979-8359800037. https://centerforreducingsuffering.org/books/avoiding-the-worst-how-to-prevent-a-moral-catastrophe-by-tobias-baumann/.
* Metzinger, Thomas (2021-02-19). "Artificial Suffering: An Argument for a Global Moratorium on Synthetic Phenomenology" (in en). Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Consciousness 08: 43–66. doi:10.1142/S270507852150003X. ISSN 2705-0785.
* Minardi, Di (2020-10-15). "The grim fate that could be 'worse than extinction'" (in en). BBC Future. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201014-totalitarian-world-in-chains-artificial-intelligence.
* Baumann, Tobias (2017). "S-risks: An introduction" (in en-US). https://centerforreducingsuffering.org/intro/.
* Althaus, David; Gloor, Lukas (2016-09-14). "Reducing Risks of Astronomical Suffering: A Neglected Priority" (in en-US). https://longtermrisk.org/reducing-risks-of-astronomical-suffering-a-neglected-priority/.

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