  This report documents the history of research on AI rights and other moral
consideration of artificial entities. It highlights key intellectual influences
on this literature as well as research and academic discussion addressing the
topic more directly. We find that researchers addressing AI rights have often
seemed to be unaware of the work of colleagues whose interests overlap with
their own. Academic interest in this topic has grown substantially in recent
years; this reflects wider trends in academic research, but it seems that
certain influential publications, the gradual, accumulating ubiquity of AI and
robotic technology, and relevant news events may all have encouraged increased
academic interest in this specific topic. We suggest four levers that, if
pulled on in the future, might increase interest further: the adoption of
publication strategies similar to those of the most successful previous
contributors; increased engagement with adjacent academic fields and debates;
the creation of specialized journals, conferences, and research institutions;
and more exploration of legal rights for artificial entities.
