AI and Consciousness: Shifting Focus Towards Tractable Questions
PhilPapers (PhilPapers Foundation) May 7, 2026 Iulia M. Comșa
The question of whether AI systems can have subjective experience is currently impossible to answer directly because no universally accepted scientific theory of consciousness exists and the philosophical mind-body problem remains unresolved. However, the adjacent topic of perceived AI consciousness—whether people believe AI systems are conscious—is tractable, timely, and socially consequential. The public increasingly adopts human-like vocabulary for AI and is open to the possibility of AI consciousness, driving changes in user experience, ethics, and language. The author maps the landscape of AI consciousness perception, discusses its drivers and societal effects, and urges clear communication about the topic's inherent uncertainties.