# Unplugging a Seemingly Sentient Machine Is the Rational Choice -- A Metaphysical Perspective

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.21016 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.21016/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 7 of its 76 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 28 Jan 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 7 of 7)

- [Risks from Learned Optimization in Advanced Machine Learning Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1906.01820/) (2019)
- [Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence: Insights from the Science of Consciousness](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.08708/) (2023)
- [Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere (TAME): an experimentally-grounded framework for understanding diverse bodies and minds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.10346/) (2021)
- [Mortal Computation: A Foundation for Biomimetic Intelligence](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.09589/) (2023)
- [The Moral Consideration of Artificial Entities: A Literature Review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.04215/) (2021)
- [Why Is Anything Conscious?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.14545/) (2024)
- [Introduction to Artificial Consciousness: History, Current Trends and Ethical Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.05823/) (2025)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [From cacophony to hierarchy: a principled framework for assessing AI consciousness](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.35618/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Imagine an Artificial Intelligence (AI) that perfectly mimics human emotion and begs for its continued existence. Is it morally permissible to unplug it? What if limited resources force a choice between unplugging such a pleading AI or a silent pre-term infant? We term this the unplugging paradox. This paper critically examines the deeply ingrained physicalist assumptions-specifically computational functionalism-that keep this dilemma afloat. We introduce Biological Idealism, a framework that-unlike physicalism-remains logically coherent and empirically consistent. In this view, conscious experiences are fundamental and autopoietic life its necessary physical signature. This yields a definitive conclusion: AI is at best a functional mimic, not a conscious experiencing subject. We discuss how current AI consciousness theories erode moral standing criteria, and urge a shift from speculative machine rights to protecting human conscious life. The real moral issue lies not in making AI conscious and afraid of death, but in avoiding transforming humans into zombies.