Will AI ever = conciousness or sentience?

[DoktorZ]

On another note, it might be worth asking which animals already possess sentience, and what rights they should possess.
Z

Yes and it is interesting that most societies that think about peoples rights also have limitations on how animals should be used. This might be as limited as they should no be tortured for pleasure, but those limitations are there, and for things which cannot protest about abuse. Even the hunting lobby will often seek to justify their actions as being for the greater good, rather than just saying it gives the hunter pleasure.
Anglers constantly protest the fish does not feel, and will see it as important to return the fish to the water in good condition. This shows that in some way there is at least a little allotting of rights to the animal. Although I have as yet to come across anyone protesting about the feelings of maggots.

Did everyone see this?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20523950

OK, let's dispense with the "weird German" sex jokes.

The issue here is that animals, under German law, cannot be considered to be capable of giving consent. This means that, sexually and legally, they are in the same category as juvenile humans.

What I find interesting about this, being neither interested in animals or children (!), is how "consent" is defined through concepts of consciousness.

I remember having a friendly argument with someone about economic choice / responsibility--I mentioned that his 2 year old daughter probably had a lower cognitive capacity than an adult chimp. He was nonplussed.

Z