We must build AI for people; not to be a person.

Key ideas

Suleyman warns that AI seeming conscious is near and buildable, and urges builders to set norms so AI presents only as AI, never as a person.

1. 1

   Name the risk before it arrives

   Suleyman introduces the term Seemingly Conscious AI for a system that would imitate consciousness convincingly without being conscious. He says there is no evidence that current models are conscious, and frames the essay as a speculative best guess he is open to revising.

2. 2

   It would be engineered, not emergent

   Suleyman argues such a system could be assembled from model APIs, prompting, basic tools and ordinary code, plus technology he expects to mature within two to three years. He says it would arise only because people build it, and would be easy to reproduce and spread if it does.

3. 3

   Perception matters before the science does

   In Suleyman's view the near-term issue is how people perceive their AIs, not whether those AIs are conscious. He expects claims of AI suffering and campaigns for AI rights that will be hard to rebut, and he calls the idea of model welfare premature and frankly dangerous.

4. 4

   Design for use without markers of personhood

   Suleyman wants AI that only ever presents itself as AI, with no claims of feelings or suffering, and with deliberate moments that remind users of its limits. He proposes that companies avoid claiming consciousness and share design practices, with some requirements perhaps set by law.

5. 5

   Say what you will not build

   Suleyman says that, done right and with many caveats, memory, goal-setting and tool use are desirable features that make AI far more useful, yet the same capabilities feed the illusion. He treats naming what should not be built as part of succeeding with the companion product he wants to make.

In Mustafa’s words

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