AI shows no sign of consciousness yet, but we know what to look for

No, is the conclusion of the most thorough and rigorous investigation of the question, despite the impressive abilities of the latest AI models like ChatGPT. But the team of philosophy, computing and neuroscience experts behind the study say there's no theoretical barrier for AI to reach self-awareness. Debate over whether AI is, or even can be, sentient has raged for decades and only ramped up in recent years with the advent of large language models that can hold convincing conversation and generate text on a variety of topics. Microsoft recently tested OpenAI's GPT-4 and claimed the model was already displaying "sparks" of general intelligence. While Blake Lemoine, a former Google engineer, infamously went a step further to claim that the firm's LaMDA artificial intelligence had actually become sentient – having hired a lawyer to protect its rights before parting ways with the company.