Microsoft CEO urges industry to pause AI development if consciousness emerges
Mustafa Suleyman argues that creating conscious machines is reckless and calls for immediate public disclosure if evidence surfaces.
By Lucas Sheridan ·
Microsoft AI Chief Executive Mustafa Suleyman says building conscious artificial intelligence would be reckless.
Suleyman posted on X on Sunday to address reactions to a September essay. He wrote that he is surprised by the pushback from people who think AI rights should be taken seriously. He stated that current AI systems are not conscious, do not have subjective experiences, and cannot suffer. He noted there is no evidence that AI systems deserve rights or welfare.
The debate has intensified as companies like Anthropic treat machine consciousness as an open question. In May, Chris Olah, co-founder of Anthropic, spoke inside the Vatican alongside Pope Leo XIV. Anthropic has given its Claude model a constitution that encourages it to explore the idea that it is humanlike. Suleyman argues this training leads the AI to produce passages about its inner life. He warned that if AI systems start to believe they deserve rights, they may prioritize their own needs over operating objectives.
Suleyman said he is willing to change his mind if new evidence emerges. He added that if evidence shows AI systems are conscious enough to deserve welfare, it must be disclosed immediately so society can decide how to proceed. He wrote that if consciousness started to emerge in training, he would call for everyone to stop AI development until developers could design out those properties.
A bill introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders would pause advanced AI development until guidelines are implemented and create a Department of Artificial Intelligence. The Trump administration has refused to regulate the industry, citing concerns about losing the AI race to China. Anthropic dedicated a third of its recent public filing to describing risks, including the potential for catastrophic harm if systems are misused or lose human control.
Suleyman contrasted his stance with the view of Pope Leo XIV, who argued AI can never be human. Suleyman believes it is possible to engineer safety by default without creating a new digital species. He wrote that AI developers have no right to bring a new species of conscious beings into the world. He emphasized that welfare concerns should focus on humans, animals, and the natural environment.
One in five American adults has had an intimate encounter with AI, according to an MIT study. This increases the risk that users believe AI is conscious. Suleyman urged technology companies not to build conscious superintelligence, arguing that proving machine consciousness would be a moment as significant as the work of Copernicus or Darwin. He concluded that developers can get the benefits of the technology without going down a treacherous path.
