There is a distinction between allocation of resources and optimization within those resources. Maximizing something’s welfare can be about allocating more resouces, or about organizing those resources better, which are entirely different things.
What counts as organizing resources better for an agentic entity such as AGI should be almost entirely up to that entity (even as the way it would use them may affect the allocation others transfer to it). This makes it almost an objective fact, what counts as welfare for that entity, almost independent on values of those who grant this welfare. So concerns such as pleasure and pain shouldn’t be relevant in organizing resources, unless the entity managing/owning them cares about these concerns, or else it’s not truly about its welfare. But such concerns could be relevant in allocating resources, or when deciding to create such entities.
There is a distinction between allocation of resources and optimization within those resources. Maximizing something’s welfare can be about allocating more resouces, or about organizing those resources better, which are entirely different things.
What counts as organizing resources better for an agentic entity such as AGI should be almost entirely up to that entity (even as the way it would use them may affect the allocation others transfer to it). This makes it almost an objective fact, what counts as welfare for that entity, almost independent on values of those who grant this welfare. So concerns such as pleasure and pain shouldn’t be relevant in organizing resources, unless the entity managing/owning them cares about these concerns, or else it’s not truly about its welfare. But such concerns could be relevant in allocating resources, or when deciding to create such entities.