Mind in the Machine? Cross-Disciplinary Perceptions of Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence
H. Moradi, Ignacio Avellino, Patrick Krauss, Dario Zanca, I. Hein, B. Eskofier, Madeleine Flaucher
International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems April 13, 2026 DOI: 10.1145/3772318.3790699 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 553 |
| Population | Online survey respondents (N=553), including academics from the formal sciences, natural sciences, and humanities, plus a heterogeneous group of other participants |
| Key findings | About half of respondents attributed some degree of consciousness to large language models and future AI. Perceptions were shaped more strongly by individual traits such as gender, academic position, and beliefs about consciousness and intelligence than by technical knowledge or system transparency. The authors argue these views inform how AI is designed, governed, and integrated into everyday interactions. |
Abstract
As AI systems increasingly display human-like behavior, people often attribute consciousness to these machines, raising questions about anthropomorphism, ethics, and design. We report findings from an online survey (N=553), including academics from the formal sciences, natural sciences, humanities, and a heterogeneous group of other participants. Respondents evaluated perceptions of consciousness in large language models and future AI, alongside related ethical and policy considerations. The results show that, across groups, around half of the participants attributed some degree of consciousness. Individual traits such as gender, academic position, and beliefs regarding consciousness and intelligence of systems strongly shape perceptions, outweighing the effects of technical knowledge or system transparency. Beyond shaping academic discussions, these perspectives inform how AI is designed, governed, and integrated into everyday interactions.
Citations in the library
Cites 23
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- Cheap Correlate or Discriminating Property? An Executable Validation Protocol for Consciousness- and Cognition-Theoretic Claims about AI arXiv (Cornell University) August 17, 2023
- Could a Large Language Model be Conscious? arXiv (Cornell University) March 4, 2023
- A landscape of consciousness: Toward a taxonomy of explanations and implications. Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology August 1, 2024
and 18 more in the library