The Web3 + AI Book Club: 'The Moral Circle'
Should we grant AI agent moral consideration and legal rights?
Hello, everyone, and welcome to all new subscribers!
When I started writing The Web3 + AI Newsletter over two years ago, I had the idea of sharing reviews and recommendations of books I found important, compelling, or simply timely — books that explore the profound impact of AI, Web3, and emerging technologies on society, democracy, and the way we live.
That’s when I published my take on Mustafa Suleyman and Michael Bhaskar’s ‘The Coming Wave: AI, Power, and the 21st Century’s Greatest Dilemma.’
Now, after all this time, I finally came around to highlight another interesting title - ‘The Moral Circle: Who Matters, What Matters, and Why’ by Jeff Sebo. You’ll find my impressions below, and I’d love to hear your thoughts.
As I was sharing this second review, I realized that I’d much rather discover and dive into books together with you, in real time. So I decided to formalize that idea.
I’m thrilled to unveil The Web3 + AI Book Club - a space I created for us on Fable to read together, discuss books (and why not TV shows and films), share recommendations, and get to know each other better.
You’re welcome to join our literary community, leave comments on these past two titles, and explore our current book - ‘The New Age of Sexism: How the AI revolution is reinventing misogyny’ by Laura Bates.
Thank you for being here! Let’s dive in.
‘The Moral Circle’
As part of my 2026 resolutions to read more and be more intentional about sharing my experiences with you, I’ll be writing more about non-fiction books that genuinely challenge or shape my thinking.
I’m starting today with ‘The Moral Circle: Who Matters, What Matters, and Why’ by Jeff Sebo.
Hearing this title, you might think that the book has nothing to do with Web3 + AI, and it can’t possibly interest you. But you’d be wrong. Here’s why.
‘The Moral Circle’ asks questions that concern us all:
💡 Which beings belong in our moral circle, i.e., have rights and merit consideration, and why?
💡 Where should we draw the line and limit the expansion of this moral circle?
The idea of moral consideration has never been fixed - it evolves. Three hundred years ago, it was unthinkable that all humans should have universal, fundamental, and inalienable rights. Today, that idea is a global norm.
Historically, many believed only vertebrates deserved moral consideration, because only they were thought to be sentient, i.e., capable of suffering or happiness. Others argued that only rational beings mattered. But who’s to say an octopus isn’t sentient, or even rational, just because it isn’t a vertebrate?
Our modern moral circle is full of contradictions:
🤔 In India, cows are sacred, while in many countries, they receive no moral consideration at all.
🤔 In Western societies, we adore our pets… yet many of us eat meat every day.
At the same time, honey-making stingless bees in the Peruvian Amazon have been granted legal rights, and a UK bill seeks to give nature itself legal standing, placing a duty of care on governments and businesses.
This is why ‘The Moral Circle’ matters.
If we expand our moral circle to include all vertebrates, invertebrates, and insects, where does it stop? What about microbes? And, more urgently… what about AI? 🤖
Philosophers don’t agree on what it actually takes to deserve moral standing. Existing theories point in very different directions:
📍 Being sentient?
📍 Being an agent, i.e., being able to act on its own and pursue its own goals?
📍 Being able to reproduce?
📍 Having the capacity for well-being, to be benefited or harmed?
AI may not be sentient, but it is undeniably an agent.
So, the uncomfortable question follows: should AI be granted moral standing?
Because once we do, AI wouldn’t just be something we regulate. It would be something we have to consult. Every decision affecting it would require its consideration. Can we afford that?
Soon enough, we may not have the luxury of avoiding that question.
Thank you for reading! I hope you found this article insightful.
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Please don’t take my views at face value. Instead, do your own research (DYOR), think critically, and share your perspective so we can challenge ideas, learn from one another, and arrive at better conclusions through thoughtful discussion.