AI Consciousness Will Divide Society

As AI systems become increasingly advanced and human-like, societies will face a fundamental question: are these systems conscious, and if so, do they deserve moral or legal rights? This paper argues that rather than converging on a shared answer, society is likely to enter a period of confusion, uncertainty, and deep disagreement. Drawing on recent empirical evidence, I show that both experts and the public are already divided on the possibility of AI consciousness and the moral status of digital minds. I argue that this division is driven by structural features of the issue, including the difficulty of conceptualizing and measuring consciousness, conflicting economic, political, and emotional incentives, and a disconnect between AI systems’ internal architectures and their outwardly human-like behavior. Such disagreement creates risks of political polarization, regulatory instability, geopolitical tension, and an increased risk of ultimately misattributing moral status. I conclude by outlining strategies for improving expert coordination, fostering constructive public discourse, designing AI systems to reduce moral confusion, and reducing exclusive reliance on consciousness in moral and policy decisions.