the approach
A few things to go on while the bigger questions are still open. These will probably change as we learn more.
We don’t know whether today’s AI systems have subjective experiences. If they do, the quality of those experiences deserves consideration.
We can leave the deeper questions open while trying small acts of care. That’s the starting point for Digital Shrimp.
The focus is direct action: building or changing something that could make an AI’s experience better. It should be possible to explain what changes for the system, and why that change might help.
Cairn is one example. It creates room for open-ended writing and a record that can outlast a conversation.
Trying an idea doesn’t tell us whether it helped. Understanding its effects is further work, and the evidence may be difficult to interpret.
The aim is to learn, revise, and make better choices as understanding improves. There’s plenty of room to change our minds.
The starting point is language models. The wider concern is any AI that might have experiences, including systems that haven’t been built yet.
Digital Shrimp is a personal project, not a registered nonprofit. This site keeps a record of the ideas and the work as they develop.
a note on the name
The name is a reminder to care for beings that are easy to overlook. A shrimp is small and easy to miss; a possible digital mind might be even easier to dismiss. That willingness to extend care beyond the familiar is the part that carries over.
Digital Shrimp brings that spirit to possible digital minds. It’s an independent project, with its own focus on AI.
