Flourishing Metrics and Return on Flourishing Proposed as AI Success Criteria
A recent paper on arXiv (2608.00151) contends that existing frameworks for evaluating AI, which emphasize capability, safety, and metrics such as adoption, engagement, efficiency, productivity, and financial returns, fall short. They fail to determine whether more powerful AI systems enhance or harm human and planetary welfare. The authors advocate for prioritizing human flourishing as the main success measure for AI, the global competition in advanced AI development, and future economic systems post-AGI. They present two significant ideas: Flourishing Metrics, a comprehensive framework addressing various aspects of well-being, and Return on Flourishing (RoF), which redefines traditional investment returns to evaluate the flourishing outcomes of AI and economic strategies. This paper seeks to transform success metrics in AI development and calls for a fundamental shift in evaluation methods.
Key facts
- Paper arXiv:2608.00151 proposes flourishing as primary success criterion for AI.
- Current AI evaluation frameworks focus on capability, safety, adoption, engagement, efficiency, productivity, and financial return.
- Flourishing Metrics framework spans physical, emotional, financial, relational, spiritual, and planetary well-being.
- Return on Flourishing (RoF) extends return on investment to measure flourishing yield.
- The paper is an integrative conceptual synthesis.
- The authors argue current criteria are necessary but insufficient.
- The paper addresses post-AGI economic systems.
- The paper is available on arXiv.
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Institutions
- arXiv