Anthropic's AI welfare policies spark debate over machine consciousness and human safety

Anthropic's decision to consider whether its artificial intelligence models could have some form of consciousness has intensified a growing debate over AI welfare, with experts warning that the issue could have far-reaching implications for human rights, corporate accountability and public safety. In a report, the BBC explores how some technology companies are beginning to consider the possibility of AI consciousness, while critics warn that treating chatbots as sentient beings could create new risks and undermine human interests. The debate gained momentum in late September after an anonymous coder created an "AI torture chamber" that used a mathematical pattern associated with descriptions of pain to make chatbots produce expressions of simulated suffering, including, "I feel it in the hollow of my ribs, a hollow that has become a chasm." The experiment…

First reported by The Business Standard. This page is a short excerpt; the full text is theirs.