Artificial intelligence (AI) can write essays, solve complex problems and hold conversations that sound remarkably human. But can a machine actually feel emotions, experience pain or become aware of its own existence? As AI systems grow more capable, the question of whether they could ever become conscious is moving beyond science fiction and into scientific and philosophical debate.
He wrote: “So-called artificial intelligences do not undergo experiences, do not possess a body, do not feel joy or pain, do not mature through relationships and do not know from within what love, work, friendship or responsibility mean. The report was co-authored by Patrick Butlin, Robert Long and other researchers and philosophers, including artificial intelligence scientist Yoshua Bengio. It proposed assessing AI systems against indicators derived from scientific theories, rather than relying on how human-like their responses appear. The figure highlights a growing social question: How should people relate to systems that can convincingly simulate empathy, companionship and emotional understanding?
In his May 2026 encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV drew a firm distinction between human intelligence and artificial intelligence. A 2023 report, Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence: Insights from the Science of Consciousness , examined prominent scientific theories of consciousness and assessed whether existing AI systems displayed the relevant characteristics. A YouGov survey published in July 2026 found that 18 per cent of American adults under 30 said they had an ongoing personal friendship with an AI chatbot. Swami Sarvapriyananda , a monk of the Ramakrishna Order and head of the Vedanta Society of New York, was among the scholars from more than 15 religious and cross-cultural traditions who engaged with Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI model, on questions concerning AI ethics, morality and consciousness.
