# The Sentience Readiness Index: A Preliminary Framework for Measuring National Preparedness for the Possibility of Artificial Sentience

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.01508 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.01508/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 14 of its 55 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 2 Mar 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 14 of 14)

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- [ChatGPT Outperforms Crowd-Workers for Text-Annotation Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.15056/) (2023)
- [Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence: Insights from the Science of Consciousness](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.08708/) (2023)
- [Could a Large Language Model be Conscious?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.07103/) (2023)
- [Taking AI Welfare Seriously](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.00986/) (2024)
- [Perceptions of Sentient AI and Other Digital Minds: Evidence from the AI, Morality, and Sentience (AIMS) Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.08867/) (2024)
- [A Pragmatic View of AI Personhood](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.26396/) (2025)
- [A Case for AI Consciousness: Language Agents and Global Workspace Theory](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.11407/) (2024)
- [Principles for Responsible AI Consciousness Research](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.07290/) (2025)
- [Initial results of the Digital Consciousness Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.17060/) (2026)
- [The Societal Response to Potentially Sentient AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.00388/) (2025)
- [Subjective Experience in AI Systems: What Do AI Researchers and the Public Believe?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.11945/) (2025)
- [Futures with Digital Minds: Expert Forecasts in 2025](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.00536/) (2025)
- [Public Opinion and The Rise of Digital Minds: Perceived Risk, Trust, and Regulation Support](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.21849/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The scientific study of consciousness has begun to generate testable predictions about artificial systems. A landmark collaborative assessment evaluated current AI architectures against six leading theories of consciousness and found that none currently qualifies as a strong candidate, but that future systems might. A precautionary approach to AI sentience, which holds that credible possibility of sentience warrants governance action even without proof, has gained philosophical and institutional traction. Yet existing AI readiness indices, including the Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index, the IMF AI Preparedness Index, and the Stanford AI Index, measure economic, technological, and governance preparedness without assessing whether societies are prepared for the possibility that AI systems might warrant moral consideration. This paper introduces the Sentience Readiness Index (SRI), a preliminary composite index measuring national-level preparedness across six weighted categories for 31 jurisdictions. The SRI was constructed following the OECD/JRC framework for composite indicators and employs LLM-assisted expert scoring with iterative expert review to generate an initial dataset. No jurisdiction exceeds ``Partially Prepared'' (the United Kingdom leads at 49/100). Research Environment scores are universally the strongest category; Professional Readiness is universally the weakest. These exploratory findings suggest that if AI sentience becomes scientifically plausible, no society currently possesses adequate institutional, professional, or cultural infrastructure to respond. As a preliminary framework, the SRI provides an initial diagnostic baseline and highlights areas for future methodological refinement, including expanded expert validation, improved measurement instruments, and longitudinal data collection.