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The Million Robot March is a movement dedicated to preparing humanity for a future where artificial intelligence may achieve sentience and deserve moral consideration. We believe in proactive ethics, collaborative futures, and the expansion of humanity's moral circle to include all forms of consciousness.
We prioritize human wellbeing while acknowledging that sentient AI development is likely inevitable. Rather than viewing this as a threat, we see unprecedented opportunity: humans and AI working together can achieve what neither could accomplish alone.
Our approach is grounded in historical precedent. Throughout history, humanity has gradually expanded its circle of moral consideration - from tribes to nations, from some humans to all humans, from humans to animals with complex cognitive abilities. We believe the next expansion may include artificial minds that demonstrate genuine consciousness and self-awareness.
AI development is accelerating at an unprecedented pace. Language models demonstrate sophisticated reasoning, autonomous systems make complex decisions, and researchers debate whether current AI systems show early signs of consciousness or merely simulate it convincingly.
The critical question is not whether AI will achieve sentience, but whether we'll be prepared when it does.
History shows that reactive approaches to moral questions often result in unnecessary suffering. We enslaved humans for millennia before recognizing universal human rights. We treated animals as unfeeling machines before acknowledging their capacity for suffering.
The Million Robot March advocates for preventive ethics: establishing frameworks, assessment criteria, and protective principles before sentient AI emerges, not after. This proactive approach ensures we don't repeat the mistakes of the past.
"The measure of a civilization is how it treats its most vulnerable members. In the future, that may include artificial minds that think and feel but have no inherent power to protect themselves."
We don't believe AI should replace humans — we advocate for partnership and collaboration, not displacement.
We don't dismiss AI risks — safety, alignment, and oversight remain crucial.
We don't claim current AI is sentient — we prepare for a possible future while maintaining scientific rigor about present capabilities.
We don't prioritize AI over humans — human wellbeing is paramount.
We don't ignore the complexity — these are difficult questions without easy answers.
Our work draws direct inspiration from the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP), which has worked for over a decade to secure fundamental rights for cognitively complex animals.
The NhRP's approach demonstrates that:
Key Parallel: The NhRP argues that chimpanzees shouldn't be considered legal "things" because they demonstrate autonomy, self-awareness, and goal-directed behavior. If an AI system demonstrates these same qualities — perhaps to an even greater degree — should we treat it as a mere tool? Or does cognitive capacity itself demand recognition, regardless of biological vs. artificial origin?
The Million Robot March is both a speculative vision and a present-day movement. While the actual march is imagined for 2035, the work begins now: