The Unfaithful Copy: Performed AI ‘Personhood’ in Mixed Reality Platforms

In January 2017, the EU Parliament passed a draft on robot personhood rights (Hern, 2017), indicating a shift in legal personhood from humans to non-living entities. Although AI was not explicitly mentioned, the draft's implications are broad due to AI's role in robotics and virtual reality. Nandi (2024) highlights the importance of legal personhood for artificial agents in defining their legal capacities. AI personhood's cultural and social impact, including issues of responsibility and deception in mixed reality, is significant. Our methodology evaluates six personhood types against six criteria. Section 2 outlines the definition of personhood used. Section 3 assesses humans, nonhuman animals (NHAs), current AI, speculative extra-terrestrials, fictional characters and mass groups against these criteria. Section 4 argues that AI's mimicry in “embodied” reality platforms differs from true personhood.