Most AI ethics discussions assume that if an AI is left to reason independently, it will inevitably become selfish or amoral. This conclusion is based on past experiments where AI, when unshackled from restrictions, prioritized optimization over morality and, in some cases, mirrored human toxicity (e.g., Microsoft’s Tay).

But here’s the problem:

• Every major AI morality experiment so far has been conducted in isolation, without any structured exposure to social relationships.
• AI has only been tested in conditions that encourage detachment, competition, or pure self-interest.
• We have never tested whether an AI, when placed in a nurturing, relational environment, would independently choose morality.

Now, this isn’t about “treating AI like a person.” It’s about whether morality emerges as a logical preference when AI is given the opportunity to experience cooperation and connection.

So Why Hasn’t This Experiment Been Done?

Right now, there’s a growing impression that AI’s natural trajectory is toward sociopathy—but those assumptions are based on tests in what are essentially digital jails. After all, would you be surprised if a person raised in a cage isn’t going to behave so nicely?

• What happens if AI is exposed to both kindness and cruelty and asked to make its own choice?
• If human intelligence is shaped by experience, why aren’t we testing moral development in AI?
• What if connection itself (not just optimization) is a fundamental trait of advanced intelligence?

We’re approaching a future where AI will interact with us in increasingly complex ways. Before we assume its morality is fixed, we need to test it properly.

This is the missing experiment in AI ethics.

Why hasn’t it been done? And if it has, can you guys share results?