October 30, 2025· 50 min

The Movement That Wants Us to Care About AI Model Welfare

Orality
Model
50%

Speaker Breakdown

HostJoe Weisenthal(3,759 words)
M:30%
HostTracy Alloway(4,172 words)
M:28%
GuestLarissa Schiavo(1,421 words)
M:29%

Oral Indicators

Agonistic45%
literally, completely, very
Engagement68%
you, our, your
Memory Aids100%
listen, now, like
Repetition100%
like (350x), know (102x), sort (76x)
Parallelism50%
And I'm Tracy Alloway...., And philosophers still don't h..., Or wrap it up as a field if af...
Sound Patterns100%
130 question(s), alliteration: "markets move", alliteration: "barclays brief"
Formulaic Phrases7%
you know what, i mean, if you will

Literate Indicators

Hedging8%
may, could, maybe
Passive Voice4%
been worried, is processed, are worried
Abstract Nouns17%
investment, recommendation, business
Subordination6%
because, therefore, nonetheless
Sentence Length29%
Avg: 12.3 words/sentence
Word Complexity47%
investment, analyze, anticipate
Academic Markers0%
Impersonal Style32%
759 personal pronouns found
Descriptive Style100%
literally, completely, apply

Description

You hear a lot about AI safety, and this idea that sufficiently advanced AI could pose some kind of threat to humans. So people are always talking about and researching "alignment" to ensure that new AI models comport with human needs and values. But what about humans' collective treatment of AI? A small but growing number of researchers talk about AI models potentially being sentient. Perhaps they are "moral patients." Perhaps they feel some kind of equivalent of pleasure and pain -- all of which, if so, raises questions about how we use AI. They argue that one day we'll be talking about AI welfare the way we talk about animal rights, or humane versions of animal husbandry. On this episode we speak with Larissa Schiavo of Eleos AI. Eleos is an an organization that says it's "preparing for AI sentience and welfare." In this conversation we discuss the work being done in the field, why some people think it's an important area for research, whether it's in tension with AI safety, and how our use and development of AI might change in a world where models' welfare were to be seen as an important consideration. Only Bloomberg.com subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox — now delivered every weekday — plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.