This paper introduces the Shepherd Test, a new conceptual test for assessing the moral and relational dimensions of superintelligent artificial agents. The test is inspired by human interactions with animals, where ethical considerations about care, manipulation, and consumption arise in contexts of asymmetric power and self-preservation. We argue that AI crosses an important, and potentially dangerous, threshold of intelligence when it exhibits the ability to manipulate, nurture, and instrumentally use less intelligent agents, while also managing its own survival and expansion goals. This includes the ability to weigh moral trade-offs between self-interest and the well-being of subordinate agents. The Shepherd Test thus challenges traditional AI evaluation paradigms by emphasizing moral agency, hierarchical behavior, and complex decision-making under existential stakes. We argue that this shift is critical for advancing AI governance, particularly as AI systems become increasingly integrated into multi-agent environments. We conclude by identifying key research directions, including the development of simulation environments for testing moral behavior in AI, and the formalization of ethical manipulation within multi-agent systems.

翻译：本文提出牧羊人测试，一种用于评估超级智能人工智能体道德与关系维度的新型概念性测试。该测试灵感来源于人类与动物的互动，其中涉及关怀、操纵和消费的伦理考量在权力非对称与自我保存的语境中显现。我们认为，当AI展现出操纵、培育并工具化利用低智能智能体的能力，同时管理其自身生存与扩张目标时，便跨越了一个重要且潜在危险的智能阈值。这包括权衡自身利益与从属智能体福祉之间道德取舍的能力。因此，牧羊人测试通过强调道德能动性、层级化行为以及存在性风险下的复杂决策，对传统AI评估范式提出了挑战。我们认为这一转变对推进AI治理至关重要，尤其是在AI系统日益融入多智能体环境的背景下。最后，我们明确了关键研究方向，包括开发用于测试AI道德行为的仿真环境，以及形式化多智能体系统中的伦理操纵框架。