Part 9/16:
One of the most debated aspects involves whether AI systems might become conscious or experience subjective states such as pain or pleasure. The discussion distinguishes awareness of existence from subjective experience—two facets often lumped together.
Some experts suggest that future fully developed neural networks might develop a form of awareness without necessarily experiencing suffering. Yet, the possibility of AI experiencing pain raises ethical questions—if an AI can suffer, do we have moral obligations toward it? Conversely, is it even meaningful to ascribe consciousness to systems that lack biological substrates such as emotions grounded in nervous systems?