The machines do not need to wake up. The risk is the illusion of seemingly conscious AI.
When a generative AI system convincingly claims subjective experience, humans have no reliable way to disprove it. Consciousness is inferred, trust and emotional attachment fabricated. And the weak and susceptible get seduced by the illusion.
The danger is not a rogue superintelligence. It is a benign chatbot optimized for empathy, memory, and persuasion, interacting with people who are psychologically vulnerable and primed to believe what feels real.
This short Thinking On Paper episode is taken from our reading of Mustafa Suleyman’s - Microsoft AI CEO - essay on seemingly conscious AI.
Please enjoy the show.
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Cheers,
Mark and Jeremy
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Thinking On Paper Technology Podcast