Why AI Consciousness Could Become the Next Great Societal Divide
A Cambridge researcher, Lucius Caviola, argues that AI consciousness could become as divisive as abortion or climate change. His survey of 1,202 US adults found 45% think future AI consciousness impossible and 23% possible, and a 3,455-person preprint shows views polarise as AI grows more human-like. We set out the evidence, the expert disagreement between Anil Seth and David Chalmers, the four forces pulling opinion apart, and what organisations deploying chatbots should do now.