Personhood

In an article in a national magazine for electrical engineers (IEEE Spectrum) on whether (some) robots should be considered “persons” or have “personhood rights” (really???) such as a corporation has rights, there is a quote from an Australian law professor:

Legal persons must know and be able to claim their rights: They must be able to assert themselves as members of a society, which is why nonhuman animals (and some incapacitated humans), and artifacts like AIs should not be considered legal persons. (my emphasis added.)

Interestingly, it was not my highlighted exception which surprised or had not been previously considered by the author of the article, or even commented on during the rest of the article. Why am I continually surprised?

Obviously, already in today’s society certain humans have been routinely denied the rights of persons – namely the unborn and those considered in comas or “brain dead” (whatever that means – the definition of which is constantly in flux due to convenience and organ donation issues.)

But apparently we haven’t reached the end of the road in denying rights. Throughout history man has denied the humanity of one group or another. Even though we believe we are the "enlightened" generations, it goes on and on.

On this eve of the Feast of the Annunciation .... Oremus pro invicem!