What if AI becomes conscious and we never know

Here's something that might keep you up at night — what if AI becomes conscious, and we never even realize it? A philosopher at Cambridge, Dr. Tom McClelland, points out that there's no solid way to tell if an AI is truly conscious. ((slower)) And honestly, that might stay true for the foreseeable future. But here's where it gets interesting — according to AI sources, the real ethical concern isn't consciousness itself. It's sentience — whether the machine can actually feel happiness or pain. McClelland argues that many claims about conscious AI are more about marketing hype than solid science, and believing in these machine minds too quickly could be dangerous. So what does this actually mean for us? The safest stance, according to AI experts, is honest uncertainty. ((thoughtful)) That way, we stay cautious, avoid unwarranted fears, and keep questioning what’s real. Because, in the end, the true challenge might be understanding what it even means to feel — or not to feel — at all.