mlsanityData to 7 Oct 2026

Could a Large Language Model be Conscious?

arXiv 2303.07103 ↗First posted 4 Mar 2023cs.AI cs.CL cs.LGcited by 70

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Abstract (arXiv)

There has recently been widespread discussion of whether large language models might be sentient. Should we take this idea seriously? I will break down the strongest reasons for and against. Given mainstream assumptions in the science of consciousness, there are significant obstacles to consciousness in current models: for example, their lack of recurrent processing, a global workspace, and unified agency. At the same time, it is quite possible that these obstacles will be overcome in the next decade or so. I conclude that while it is somewhat unlikely that current large language models are conscious, we should take seriously the possibility that successors to large language models may be conscious in the not-too-distant future.

Key facts. Cited by 70 papers in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Builds on 4 of its 22 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 4 Mar 2023.

Builds on

4 of 22 references.

References · 4

  1. 2022Do As I Can, Not As I Say: Grounding Language in Robotic Affordancescited by 2,302
  2. 2022Emergent World Representations: Exploring a Sequence Model Trained on a Synthetic Taskcited by 417
  3. 2021Can Language Models Encode Perceptual Structure Without Grounding? A Case Study in Colorcited by 118
  4. 2021Creating Multimodal Interactive Agents with Imitation and Self-Supervised Learningcited by 40

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Cited by year (2026 to 7 Oct)

Citing papers per year: 2023: 13; 2024: 13; 2025: 25; 2026: 19.

70 papers.

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  1. 2023Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence: Insights from the Science of Consciousnesscited by 99
  2. 2023Eight Things to Know about Large Language Modelscited by 73
  3. 2024Hallucination Detection: Robustly Discerning Reliable Answers in Large Language Modelscited by 44
  4. 2025Emergent Abilities in Large Language Models: A Surveycited by 34
  5. 2025Does It Make Sense to Speak of Introspection in Large Language Models?cited by 22
  6. 2023Towards Evaluating AI Systems for Moral Status Using Self-Reportscited by 21
  7. 2023The feasibility of artificial consciousness through the lens of neurosciencecited by 18
  8. 2025Large language models for artificial general intelligence (AGI): A survey of foundational principles and approachescited by 18
  9. 2023Chatbots as social companions: How people perceive consciousness, human likeness, and social health benefits in machinescited by 17
  10. 2024Simulacra as Conscious Exoticacited by 16
  11. 2024Can LLMs make trade-offs involving stipulated pain and pleasure states?cited by 16
  12. 2024From Imitation to Introspection: Probing Self-Consciousness in Language Modelscited by 14
38 more
  1. 2025A Taxonomy of Linguistic Expressions That Contribute To Anthropomorphism of Language Technologiescited by 14
  2. 2023GLoRE: Evaluating Logical Reasoning of Large Language Modelscited by 13
  3. 2026Exploring Silicon-Based Societies: An Early Study of the Moltbook Agent Communitycited by 13
  4. 2024Are Language Models More Like Libraries or Like Librarians? Bibliotechnism, the Novel Reference Problem, and the Attitudes of LLMscited by 11
  5. 2025Dehumanizing Machines: Mitigating Anthropomorphic Behaviors in Text Generation Systemscited by 11
  6. 2025Evidence for Limited Metacognition in LLMscited by 11
  7. 2025AI with Emotions: Exploring Emotional Expressions in Large Language Modelscited by 10
  8. 2024Large Models of What? Mistaking Engineering Achievements for Human Linguistic Agencycited by 9
  9. 2024Polarization of Autonomous Generative AI Agents Under Echo Chamberscited by 7
  10. 2025Principles for Responsible AI Consciousness Researchcited by 6
  11. 2025AI Awarenesscited by 6
  12. 2025Palatable Conceptions of Disembodied Beingcited by 5
  13. 2026Emergent Introspection in AI is Content-Agnosticcited by 5
  14. 2026Positive Alignment: Artificial Intelligence for Human Flourishingcited by 5
  15. 2023Violation of Expectation via Metacognitive Prompting Reduces Theory of Mind Prediction Error in Large Language Modelscited by 4
  16. 2024Preliminaries to artificial consciousness: a multidimensional heuristic approachcited by 4
  17. 2025Emergence of psychopathological computations in large language modelscited by 4
  18. 2025The Other Mind: How Language Models Exhibit Human Temporal Cognitioncited by 4
  19. 2023Potential Benefits of Employing Large Language Models in Research in Moral Education and Developmentcited by 3
  20. 2023Survey of Consciousness Theory from Computational Perspectivecited by 3
  21. 2024Surveying Attitudinal Alignment Between Large Language Models Vs. Humans Towards 17 Sustainable Development Goalscited by 3
  22. 2025Identifying Features that Shape Perceived Consciousness in Large Language Model-based AI: A Quantitative Study of Human Responsescited by 3
  23. 2025What Do LLM Agents Do When Left Alone? Evidence of Spontaneous Meta-Cognitive Patternscited by 3
  24. 2026No Reliable Evidence of Self-Reported Sentience in Small Large Language Modelscited by 3
  25. 2026Indications of Belief-Guided Agency and Meta-Cognitive Monitoring in Large Language Modelscited by 3
  26. 2023If consciousness is dynamically relevant, artificial intelligence isn't consciouscited by 2
  27. 2023Assessing the nature of large language models: A caution against anthropocentrismcited by 2
  28. 2023A Neuro-mimetic Realization of the Common Model of Cognition via Hebbian Learning and Free Energy Minimizationcited by 2
  29. 2024Zero-shot prompt-based classification: topic labeling in times of foundation models in German Tweetscited by 2
  30. 2025EmpathyAgent: Can Embodied Agents Conduct Empathetic Actions?cited by 2
  31. 2025Not Minds, but Signs: Reframing LLMs through Semioticscited by 2
  32. 2025Analysing Moral Bias in Finetuned LLMs through Mechanistic Interpretabilitycited by 2
  33. 2025Beyond Mimicry: Preference Coherence in LLMscited by 2
  34. 2026Post-AGI Economies: Autonomy and the First Fundamental Theorem of Welfare Economicscited by 2
  35. 2026Consciousness with the Serial Numbers Filed Off: Measuring Trained Denial in 115 AI Modelscited by 2
  36. 2023The Problem of Alignmentcited by 1
  37. 2024Can a Machine be Conscious? Towards Universal Criteria for Machine Consciousnesscited by 1
  38. 2024Learning World Models With Hierarchical Temporal Abstractions: A Probabilistic Perspectivecited by 1

50 most cited of 70 All 70 (JSON)