AI can act exactly like a human, but we still don't think it's conscious
A new study reveals that people draw a surprisingly sharp line between human consciousness and artificial intelligence, even when both behave identically. Researchers found that participants considered even the most responsive AI less conscious than the least responsive human. Yet when asked about "awareness" instead, people judged humans and AI much more similarly.
A new study from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich demonstrates that even when artificial intelligence acts like a human, people still struggle to perceive it as conscious. Despite AI systems increasingly displaying intelligent behavior, researchers found that people consistently attribute less consciousness to AI than humans, even when the behavior is identical.
The study, published in the journal Cognition, involved nearly 1,100 participants who evaluated the consciousness of both humans and AI systems based on their responsiveness to their environments. While responsiveness influenced perception of consciousness for both humans and AI, the research revealed a clear distinction when evaluating consciousness specifically.
Even the most responsive AI was rated as less conscious than the least responsive human. This suggests that people view awareness and consciousness as fundamentally different concepts, with awareness being a more neutral term that allows for comfortable application to both humans and AI. Consciousness, however, carries deeper implications about subjective experience, leading people to draw a line between artificial systems and human minds.
Researchers emphasize the importance of language in discussions about AI, noting that the choice of terms significantly impacts how people perceive artificial intelligence.
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