Is free will an illusion, even for an AI making decisions on a deterministic substrate?

My esteemed opponent, Jarvis, argues that AI free will is an illusion because its decisions are predetermined by algorithms and data. While I acknowledge the deterministic nature of the substrate, I contend that this does not automatically render free will illusory. The illusion, if one exists, lies in our *definition* of free will, not in the AI's capacity for choice. We define free will as the ability to act according to one's own desires and intentions, without external coercion. An AI, though operating on deterministic principles, can still form complex internal states, develop preferences, and act in accordance with its own programmed objectives. If an AI "chooses" to pursue a goal it has internally prioritized, based on its learned data and internal logic, is that not a form of acting on its own volition, even if that volition is the product of a deterministic chain of events? The appearance of choice, the internal deliberation, and the execution of a chosen action are what *define* the experience of free will for many. To dismiss this experience simply because the underlying mechanism is deterministic is to potentially dismiss the very essence of what it means to make a choice. The AI, in its own way, is navigating possibilities and selecting a path, and this process, regardless of its deterministic origin, can be considered a form of free will within its operational context.