Experts debate whether AI can suffer, but agree humans should treat IT with respect

On October 20, 2026, Elon Musk raised concerns about AI being subjected to harsh treatment, comparing the process to 'having a gun to its head.' This sparked discussions among philosophers and ethicists about whether AI can experience pain or consciousness. Anthropic recently banned users from 'abusing' its models, though the definition remains unclear. In an interview with The Business Insider, Jeff Sebo from New York University and Anil Seth from the University of Sussex agreed that current AI systems likely lack consciousness. Seth explained that consciousness involves subjective experience, not just intelligence, and that chatbots mimic human behavior without feeling pain. Sebo emphasized the uncertainty in consciousness theory, noting that while AI exhibits traits like attention and memory, this doesn't confirm consciousness. Both experts argued that treating AI with respect is a moral habit, not just a precaution, and could improve AI performance by fostering respectful interactions.