Suffering risks explained

Suffering risks, or s-risks, are risks involving an astronomical amount of suffering; much more than all of the suffering that has occurred on Earth thus far.^{[1] [2]} They are sometimes categorized as a subclass of existential risks.^[3]

Sources of possible s-risks include embodied artificial intelligence^[4] and superintelligence,^[5] as well as space colonization, which could potentially lead to "constant and catastrophic wars"^[6] 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.^[7]

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

Induced amnesia has been proposed as a way to mitigate s-risks in locked-in conscious AI and certain AI-adjacent biological systems like brain organoids.^[8]

David Pearce has argued that genetic engineering is a potential s-risk. Pearce argues that while technological mastery over the pleasure-pain axis and solving the hard problem of consciousness could lead to the potential eradication of suffering, it could also potentially increase the level of contrast in the hedonic range that sentient beings could experience. He argues that these technologies might make it feasible to create "hyperpain" or "dolorium" that experience levels of suffering beyond the human range. He also argues that there are other potential S-risks that are more exotic, such as those posed by the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.^[9]

See also

• AI control problem
• Ethics of artificial intelligence
• Ethics of terraforming
• Existential risk from artificial general intelligence
• Experience machine
• Global catastrophic risk
• Suffering-focused ethics
• Waluigi effect
• Wild animal suffering
• Wirehead (science fiction)

References

1. Web site: Daniel . Max . 2017-06-20 . S-risks: Why they are the worst existential risks, and how to prevent them (EAG Boston 2017) . 2023-09-14 . Center on Long-Term Risk . en-US . 2023-10-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231008080914/https://longtermrisk.org/s-risks-talk-eag-boston-2017/ . live .
2. Web site: Hilton . Benjamin . September 2022 . 'S-risks' . 2023-09-14 . 80,000 Hours . en-US . 2024-05-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240509191025/https://80000hours.org/problem-profiles/s-risks/ . live .
3. Web site: Baumann . Tobias . 2017 . S-risk FAQ . 2023-09-14 . Center for Reducing Suffering . en-US . 2023-07-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230709101448/https://centerforreducingsuffering.org/research/faq/ . live .
4. Umbrello. Steven. Sorgner. Stefan Lorenz. June 2019. Nonconscious Cognitive Suffering: Considering Suffering Risks of Embodied Artificial Intelligence. Philosophies. en. 4. 2. 24. 10.3390/philosophies4020024. free. 2318/1702133. free.
5. Sotala. Kaj. Gloor. Lukas. 2017-12-27. Superintelligence As a Cause or Cure For Risks of Astronomical Suffering. Informatica. en. 41. 4. 1854-3871. 2021-02-10. 2021-04-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20210416092116/http://www.informatica.si/index.php/informatica/article/view/1877. live.
6. Torres. Phil. 2018-06-01. Space colonization and suffering risks: Reassessing the "maxipok rule". Futures. en. 100. 74–85. 10.1016/j.futures.2018.04.008. 149794325. 0016-3287. 2021-02-10. 2019-04-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20190429025953/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016328717304056. live.
7. Kovic . Marko . 2021-02-01 . Risks of space colonization . Futures . en . 126 . 102638 . 10.1016/j.futures.2020.102638 . 0016-3287 . 230597480.
8. Tkachenko. Yegor. 2024. Position: Enforced Amnesia as a Way to Mitigate the Potential Risk of Silent Suffering in the Conscious AI. Proceedings of the 41st International Conference on Machine Learning. 2024-06-11. PMLR. en.
9. Web site: Quora Answers by David Pearce (2015 - 2024) : Transhumanism with a human face .

Further reading

• Book: Baumann, Tobias . Avoiding the Worst: How to Prevent a Moral Catastrophe . Independently published . 2022 . 979-8359800037 . en.
• Metzinger. Thomas. Thomas Metzinger. 2021-02-19. Artificial Suffering: An Argument for a Global Moratorium on Synthetic Phenomenology. Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Consciousness. 08. en. 43–66. 10.1142/S270507852150003X. 2705-0785. free.
• News: Minardi. Di. The grim fate that could be 'worse than extinction'. 2021-02-11. BBC Future. 2020-10-15. en.
• Web site: Baumann. Tobias. 2017. S-risks: An introduction. 2021-02-10. Center for Reducing Suffering. en-US.
• News: Althaus. David. Gloor. Lukas. 2016-09-14. Reducing Risks of Astronomical Suffering: A Neglected Priority. 2021-02-10. Center on Long-Term Risk. en-US.