Anil K. Seth, Ned Block, and Giulio Tononi, write:

Artificial-intelligence systems such as large language models (LLMs) can exhibit behaviour that seems strikingly intelligent. This has led many people, including some experts, to wonder whether these systems could have some form of consciousness — the capacity for subjective experience. However, we think that existing AI systems are not conscious, and that, along current trajectories of development, they are not likely to become conscious. Greater clarity about whether AI could become consciousness will be crucial as society grapples with the challenges posed by this increasingly powerful technology.

Several prominent scientists, including biologist Richard Dawkins and AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, have argued that AI systems might already be conscious. And earlier this year, AI company Anthropic in San Francisco, California, published research claiming to have identified computational signatures of a form of consciousness in its Claude model.

Whether AI models can ever be conscious is not merely a philosophical question. It has practical implications. For instance, if AI systems were conscious, they might experience distress and pain, similar to how people do. Then should countless new conscious entities that might experience suffering be allowed to proliferate? Perhaps not surprisingly, some people are already calling for ‘AI welfare’ and ‘AI rights’ to be taken seriously.

Conversely, if AI systems only seem to be conscious and lack actual inner experience, then granting them rights or protections could hinder efforts to govern and control them at precisely the time when oversight is urgently needed. Following this path would draw attention and resources away from beings whose consciousness is not in any doubt. [Continue reading…]