We must reject any notion of AI consciousness | Letters
TL;DR
Artificial intelligence systems won’t become conscious for the same reason they won’t become pregnant, says Dr John Pickering Anil Seth is right to point out that to overestimate artificial intelligence is to underestimate ourselves (Once again we are told AI may be conscious – I study consciousness, and I have my doubts, 15 July). But he is wrong only to have doubts about whether AI systems like Claude may become conscious. He should be certain, and should say so more forcefully.
Nauti's Take
The debate has a practical payoff: describing models as pattern processing rather than beings with intent leads to soberer product and risk decisions. The limit: a reader letter is not evidence, and the consciousness question stays scientifically open.
For teams, the real gain is language discipline, since words like understanding or wanting quietly erode review steps and approvals.
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