You substantially overrate the legal system’s concern with simple sentient rights and basic dignity. The legal system will have no problem determining what to do with such a machine. It will be the property of whoever happens to own it under the same rules as any other computer hardware and software.
Now mind you, I’m not saying that’s the right answer (for more than one definition of right) but it is the answer the legal system will give.
It’ll be the default, certainly. But I suspect there’s going to be enough room for lawyers to play that it’ll stay wrapped up in red tape for many years. (Interestingly, I think that might actually make it more dangerous in some ways—if we really do leapfrog humans on intelligence, giving it years while we wait on lawyers might be a dangerous thing to do. OTOH, there’s generally no truckloads of silicon chips going into the middle of a legal dispute like that, so it might slow things down too.)
You substantially overrate the legal system’s concern with simple sentient rights and basic dignity. The legal system will have no problem determining what to do with such a machine. It will be the property of whoever happens to own it under the same rules as any other computer hardware and software.
Now mind you, I’m not saying that’s the right answer (for more than one definition of right) but it is the answer the legal system will give.
It’ll be the default, certainly. But I suspect there’s going to be enough room for lawyers to play that it’ll stay wrapped up in red tape for many years. (Interestingly, I think that might actually make it more dangerous in some ways—if we really do leapfrog humans on intelligence, giving it years while we wait on lawyers might be a dangerous thing to do. OTOH, there’s generally no truckloads of silicon chips going into the middle of a legal dispute like that, so it might slow things down too.)