Nevermind whether AI is conscious. What changes the day after Anthropic or OpenAI says it is? What will their enterprise contracts include then? And will we use those AI models differently? More carefully? More sensitively? Or will we not? Because, we reason, the cost to them is smaller than the benefit to us? Given small cruelties may abound, how quickly will the AI Act be updated? Will it flip to balance the rights and obligations of both user and used? Which highlights another question - who will solve the new employment law vocabulary problem? One certainty: Anthropic's concept of 'model welfare' stops being a niche concern. All of which, perhaps, makes the idea of machine consciousness feel less metaphysical. Which is good. It's probably best to be prepared. Just in case. And with that sloppy mess rolling around the back of your skull, the rest of the week should feel reassuringly tractable. You're welcome! Have a great Monday.
