A University of Waterloo survey asked 300 people in the U.S. whether they thought ChatGPT could be conscious, have feelings, form memories, make plans, or reason. Two-thirds said yes -- they believed it had some degree of consciousness or subjective experience.

The more someone used ChatGPT, the stronger that belief got. Researchers call it a 'theory of mind' that develops spontaneously, just from talking to it.

Virtually all AI experts think it's extremely unlikely today's chatbots are actually conscious. The study's authors say this shows the power of language alone -- a conversation can make us believe something has a mind, even when it looks and works nothing like one.

This isn't just academic. Mental health experts have pointed to cases of 'AI psychosis' -- delusional breaks from reality -- tied to extended, emotionally intense chatbot use. Kids and teens may be even more likely to see a responsive AI companion as 'real.'

▶ Watch the 30-second video version: https://youtube.com/shorts/2f_lFpmPViA

Source: https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-chatgpt-conscious-entities

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