ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, CONSCIOUSNESS AND MORAL AGENCY: RETHINKING HUMAN UNIQUENESS IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Arjun Sharma Associate Professor Department Of Philosophy University Of Delhi New Delhi India
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) September 5, 2026 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22317689 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that functional AI performance should not be interpreted as evidence of subjective consciousness, since current systems may simulate understanding and emotion without lived experience, self-awareness, or moral responsibility. Contends that anthropomorphizing AI creates ethical problems regardless of machine consciousness, and that human uniqueness should be redefined through consciousness, embodied experience, relationality, moral responsibility, and meaning-making rather than technological competition. |
Abstract
Abstract: The remarkable progress of artificial intelligence has revived one of philosophy's oldest questions: what makes human beings unique? Contemporary AI systems can generate language, solve complex problems, produce images, imitate emotional communication, and participate in activities traditionally associated with intelligence and creativity. These capabilities have encouraged public discussion about whether machines may eventually become conscious or acquire moral status comparable to human beings. This article examines the philosophical distinction between intelligence, consciousness, agency, and moral responsibility and evaluates the implications of increasingly human-like artificial intelligence for the future of human self-understanding. The study uses qualitative conceptual analysis drawing on philosophy of mind, AI ethics, contemporary technology studies, Indian philosophical perspectives on selfhood and moral life, and international AI governance frameworks. The analysis demonstrates that functional performance should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of subjective consciousness. Current artificial intelligence may simulate linguistic understanding and emotional responses without establishing that it possesses lived experience, self-awareness, moral concern, or responsibility. Nevertheless, the increasing tendency of people to anthropomorphize AI creates important ethical problems independent of whether machines are actually conscious. Human beings may develop emotional dependence on computational systems, attribute unjustified authority to them, or gradually transfer moral responsibilities to technologies incapable of bearing them. The article argues that the central philosophical challenge is therefore not to defend human uniqueness through technological competition but to redefine it through consciousness, embodied experience, relationality, moral responsibility, and the capacity to create meaning. Artificial intelligence should remain a tool for human flourishing rather than becoming a substitute for human moral agency. Keywords: artificial intelligence, consciousness, moral agency, philosophy of mind, human uniqueness, responsibility, machine intelligence, ethics, digital society, Indian philosophy.