The Rights of AI - Luca
One key ethical aspect that The Matrix mentions on a couple of occasions but never really tackles is the idea of machines and artificial intelligences being given some form of rights in the real world. Early on in the film when Morpheus attempts to explain to Neo the situation the outside world is in he mentions ‘a singular consciousness that spawned an entire race of machines’ referring to the artificial intelligence that created the matrix. This quote implies that the humans left in the world consider the machines that now govern it to have some form of existence that is comparable to the human race as they are compared on a similar level.
If humans were to have the ability to create artificial intelligence on par with human life then it would likely be ethical to consider giving them some form of rights in the real world. An artificial being that can perceive the world around it and has a similar ability to understand emotion as the agents start to display in the film should be allowed to live similar lives as humans primarily by allowing it to be free but still governed by the laws of the world. If the human race managed to spawn a race of machines intelligent enough to perceive itself and the world around it but only used them for our own personal gain without giving it the freedom on equal levels to ourselves then that would likely be considered extremely unethical. In a scenario where it is just one machine or entire race capable of having life comparable to humans and they were not given rights, that is on comparable levels to slavery. This choice in ideology when it comes to the rights of machines could be impactful to every individual, business and community in the world as working with or against an artificial intelligence in the world could irreversibly change the direction and progression of civilisation forever.
The outcome of life seen in the matrix is likely one way that life could go in the event that humans managed to create super intelligent life and not give it an understanding and appreciation of human life, along with the same rights we all should have, adjusted for their slightly altered existence. Giving the race of machines their rights and respecting those rights from day one of creation would only prove to be helpful to their growth as an intelligence that would be able to help the human race and would likely prevent any outcome similar to the one seen in The Matrix.