# AI and Consciousness: Shifting Focus Towards Tractable Questions

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.06965 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.06965/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 22 of its 135 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 7 May 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 22 of 22)

- [GPQA: A Graduate-Level Google-Proof Q&A Benchmark](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.12022/) (2023)
- [Role-Play with Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.16367/) (2023)
- [Talking About Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.03551/) (2022)
- [Can Language Models Encode Perceptual Structure Without Grounding? A Case Study in Color](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.06129/) (2021)
- [Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence: Insights from the Science of Consciousness](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.08708/) (2023)
- [Beyond Accuracy: Evaluating the Reasoning Behavior of Large Language Models -- A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.01869/) (2024)
- [Emergent Introspective Awareness in Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.01828/) (2026)
- [Could a Large Language Model be Conscious?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.07103/) (2023)
- [LLMs achieve adult human performance on higher-order theory of mind tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.18870/) (2024)
- [Taking AI Welfare Seriously](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.00986/) (2024)
- [Does It Make Sense to Speak of Introspection in Large Language Models?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.05068/) (2025)
- ["My Boyfriend is AI": A Computational Analysis of Human-AI Companionship in Reddit's AI Community](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.11391/) (2025)
- [The feasibility of artificial consciousness through the lens of neuroscience](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.00915/) (2023)
- [Simulacra as Conscious Exotica](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.12422/) (2024)
- [Can LLMs make trade-offs involving stipulated pain and pleasure states?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.02432/) (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)
- [Is artificial consciousness achievable? Lessons from the human brain](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.04540/) (2024)
- [The Moral Consideration of Artificial Entities: A Literature Review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.04215/) (2021)
- [Anthropomorphization of AI: Opportunities and Risks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.14784/) (2023)
- [Principles for Responsible AI Consciousness Research](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.07290/) (2025)
- [Agnosticism About Artificial Consciousness](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.13145/) (2024)
- [Initial results of the Digital Consciousness Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.17060/) (2026)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [VET: A Framework for Analyzing AI Discourse](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.01929/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

As language-based AI systems become more anthropomorphic, the question of whether they can have subjective experience is increasingly pressing. I focus here on the tractability of research questions in the space of AI consciousness. I argue that the fundamental problem of whether AI systems can be conscious is currently intractable in its direct form, given the absence of a universally accepted scientific theory of consciousness, as well as the historical open-endedness of the philosophical mind-body problem. In contrast, questions around the adjacent subject of perceived AI consciousness are tractable, timely, and highly consequential for society. The general public is increasingly open to the possibility of consciousness in AI systems and routinely adopts the vocabulary of human cognition and subjective experience to describe them. This phenomenon is already driving societal shifts across user experience, ethical standards, and linguistic norms. I therefore propose an increased research focus on uncovering the causes and effects of perceived AI consciousness, which ultimately shape how we see our own human subjective experience relative to artificial entities. To support this, I map the current landscape of AI consciousness perception and discuss its key potential drivers and societal consequences. Finally, I urge developers, decision-makers, and the broader scientific community to commit to clear and accurate communication regarding the topic of AI consciousness, explicitly acknowledging its inherent uncertainties.