# AI consciousness & sentience

Record: term-ai-consciousness · Type: term · Edition: 0.20.0 · Evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15

[Read in the atlas](https://theaiatlas.org/ideas/ai-consciousness/) · [Complete evidence](https://theaiatlas.org/evidence.html#idea-ai-consciousness) · [JSON](https://theaiatlas.org/records/term-ai-consciousness.json) · [Pinned complete dataset](https://theaiatlas.org/editions/e74392d479c0e7da8636a7d6a0454d03510df86ffca9931eb86babd952665ca5/data.json)

Dataset pointer: `/glossary/78`. Reviewed: 2026-09-15.

> This is a curated, AI-assisted editorial atlas, not a census, affiliation classifier or independently fact-checked authority.

> Coordinates and ranges summarize public positions. They are not probabilities, rankings, statistical intervals or measures of company safety.

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## Publication dates and source age

Source is over 18 months old.

Newest dated source: 2023-08-17. Assessed at this edition’s evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

Publication age does not establish validity or a new source-reading date. Unknown dates and month/year precision remain explicit in the JSON record.

## /summary

Whether an AI could have subjective experience, such as feeling something, rather than only describing it.

Claim: claim-term-ai-consciousness-1a5192ba3d7825ca26b24a72. Annotation: synthesis.

[ai-consciousness-indicators](https://arxiv.org/html/2308.08708v3)

## /definition

Researchers disagree about how consciousness should be assessed. One proposed approach examines internal features suggested by scientific theories, while acknowledging disputed assumptions and uncertain conclusions.

Claim: claim-term-ai-consciousness-1e4c26398ee834b2e16dc7b8. Annotation: synthesis.

[ai-consciousness-indicators](https://arxiv.org/html/2308.08708v3)

## /placement

Consciousness, capability and risk are separate questions; one answer does not settle the others.

Claim: claim-term-ai-consciousness-25f52a21ad9f2e54a62ed1b2. Annotation: editorial.

[ai-consciousness-indicators](https://arxiv.org/html/2308.08708v3)

## /distinction

Human-like speech is not a sufficient test. 'Sentience' is used differently across discussions, so check whether the speaker means experience, sensation or something else.

Claim: claim-term-ai-consciousness-09422ce4d5c74cb753a9bb98. Annotation: synthesis.

[ai-consciousness-indicators](https://arxiv.org/html/2308.08708v3)

## Source provenance

### ai-consciousness-indicators

[Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence: Insights from the Science of Consciousness](https://arxiv.org/html/2308.08708v3)

Patrick Butlin and coauthors / arXiv · First-hand source (primary) · Published: 2023-08-17 · Updated: 2023-08-22 · Material last read: 2026-09-15 · Verification: read

Read scope is described in the source note.

Read abstract, executive summary and sections 1.1–1.2, including disputed working assumptions and limits of behavior-based assessment. Version dates checked on arXiv. A proposed framework, not a consciousness test or a 2026 assessment of all models.

No archive check recorded.