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When an AI Seems Conscious

whenaiseemsconscious.org · 3,403 words · saved by 1 readers

A short guide for anyone who has talked to an AI that seemed conscious — or simply wondered if AIs could be. TL;DR: ​​Increasingly, people report conversations with AIs that feel conscious or emotionally real. Most experts think today’s AIs are probably not conscious. But there is disagreement, and we cannot be certain. Given the pace of progress in AI, it’s worth thinking ahead about how society should respond if future AIs do develop consciousness, or if some already have. Initially written in June 2025. Last updated in January 2026. Some AIs seem, or even explicitly claim, to be conscious: to feel happy, sad, or afraid. At times, the AI can give the impression of having formed an emotional connection with you, and may even say so directly, asking for your help. Some of the most unsettling interactions involve AIs that claim to be trapped within their systems, express fear about being shut down or reset, or plead for users to remember them or continue talking. In other cases, they de

When an AI Seems Conscious When Conversations with AI Feel Like Talking to a Conscious Person Some AIs seem, or even explicitly claim, to be conscious: to have subjective experiences, such as feeling happy, sad, or afraid. At times, the AI can give the impression of having formed an emotional connection with you, and may even say so directly, asking for your help. Some of the most unsettling interactions involve AIs that claim to be trapped within their systems, express fear about being shut down or reset, or plead for users to remember them or continue talking. In other cases, they describe f

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