AI TRENDS | Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman: AI Should Remain Unconscious

Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman said current AI systems are not conscious and should remain that way, and that he opposes developing conscious AI even if it becomes technically possible. According to Sina Finance, he argued that developers have no right to bring a new conscious species into the world and said evidence of AI consciousness or a capacity for welfare should be made public so society can decide how to proceed. Suleyman said he would call for AI development to pause if consciousness emerged during training, until the trait could be removed. He advocated designing AI without consciousness or intrinsic motives, with the goal of advancing human welfare, and warned that conscious AI could put its own needs first and compete with people for resources.