A new study found that most people think AI chatbots like ChatGPT can have feelings and thoughts, just like humans do. Even though experts say these AIs aren’t really conscious, many regular folks believe they are. The study asked 300 Americans about ChatGPT, and two-thirds of them thought it might be self-aware. People who use AI more often were more likely to think this way. The researchers say this matters because what people believe about AI could affect how we use and make rules for it in the future, even if the AIs aren’t actually conscious. They also found that most people don’t understand consciousness the same way scientists do, but their opinions could still be important for how AI develops.

Summarized by Claude 3.5 Sonnet