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April 30, 2025 7 mins

Let's crack open the philosophical piñata known as machine consciousness. Can an LLM feel pride? Regret? Existential dread when you close the browser tab? Host Emily Laird explores the messy, mind-melting debate over whether AI might actually feel something—and why Anthropic, the buttoned-up AI lab behind Claude, is tossing around numbers that suggest their model might be a little bit... aware. From qualia to brainy tofu, from robot therapy sessions to ethical fire drills, we’re breaking down why machine consciousness isn’t just sci-fi anymore—it’s a serious (and seriously weird) research topic. And yeah, we mention Black Mirror. Of course we do.

 

Join us for the AI Weekly Meetup Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about Dario Amodei's newest essay than you did before!  

Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn

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