Emily Chan
On the other hand, 33 percent of participants attributed no conscious experience. The subjects were also directed to rate their confidence levels that ChatGPT was experiencing consciousness on a scale of one to 100, with one as absolute confidence that ChatGPT was not experiencing consciousness and 100 as being totally certain that it was.
The more that people used tools like ChatGPT, the more likely they were to believe that they were conscious. They developed the conception of AI as a thinking and feeling entity through frequent use of it.
Combatto says that the results demonstrate the power of language. Just a conversation can cement the belief that a being very different from humans can have a mind of its own.
The experiment also revealed that non-experts do not understand the concept of phenomenal consciousness. The researchers hope the study will have a big impact on future safety measures in the field.
The widespread opinions and perceptions of the public have a major influence on the regulation of technological developments such as AI.
More research is needed to determine how common the belief that LLMs have become sentient is.
The study was published in the journal Neuroscience of Consciousness.
