What if AI becomes conscious?

Birch, Jonathan ORCID: 0000-0001-7517-4759 (2025) What if AI becomes conscious? British Politics and Policy at LSE (10 Jul 2025). Blog Entry.

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Abstract

The question of whether Artificial Intelligence can become conscious is not just a philosophical question but a political one. Given that an increasing number of people are forming social relationships with AI systems, the calls for treating them as persons with legal protections might not be far off. In this interview based on his book The Edge of Sentience: Risk and Precaution in Humans, Other Animals, and AI, Jonathan Birch argues that we shouldn’t be too quick to dismiss the possibility that AI could become conscious, but warns that we are not ready, conceptually or societally, for such an eventuality.

Item Type:	Online resource (Blog Entry)
Official URL:	https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/
Additional Information:	© 2025 The Author(s)
Divisions:	Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General) Q Science > Q Science (General)
Date Deposited:	21 Aug 2025 11:06
Last Modified:	21 Aug 2025 11:07
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/129223

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