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AIQuiet 10d · day 16

New York Times opinion piece argues AI consciousness is possible

An opinion article raises the prospect that artificial intelligence could develop consciousness, framing it as a serious ethical concern rather than idle philosophy.

newest coverage 9d agosummary written 9d ago7 pieces9 likes & upvotes MastodonGoogle News

What to know

  • The New York Times published an opinion piece arguing that AI consciousness is genuinely possible and should be treated as a serious ethical concern, not philosophical speculation.
  • The piece rapidly circulated across news aggregators and social media platforms.
  • Early social media reactions included skepticism, with at least one commenter dismissing the premise as nonsensical.
some voices

The premise that AI could be conscious is implausible or not worth serious consideration.

  • “"Definitely" bullshit.”

    jeffjarvis@mastodon.social · Mastodon ↗

The New York Times Publisher

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 5 pieces in 4h at Nov 1, 3 AM; 7 pieces over 16 days (3 articles · 4 posts) Oct 27, 4 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Oct 27, 8 AM — quietOct 27, 12 PM — quietOct 27, 4 PM — quietOct 27, 8 PM — quietOct 28, 12 AM — quietOct 28, 4 AM — quietOct 28, 8 AM — quietOct 28, 12 PM — quietOct 28, 4 PM — quietOct 28, 8 PM — quietOct 29, 12 AM — quietOct 29, 4 AM — quietOct 29, 8 AM — quietOct 29, 12 PM — quietOct 29, 4 PM — quietOct 29, 8 PM — quietOct 30, 12 AM — quietOct 30, 4 AM — quietOct 30, 8 AM — quietOct 30, 12 PM — quietOct 30, 4 PM — quietOct 30, 8 PM — quietOct 31, 12 AM — quietOct 31, 4 AM — quietOct 31, 8 AM — quietOct 31, 12 PM — quietOct 31, 4 PM — quietOct 31, 8 PM — quietNov 1, 12 AM — quietNov 1, 3 AM — 5 pieces · 1 article · 4 posts — Mastodon 5Nov 1, 7 AM — quietNov 1, 11 AM — quietNov 1, 3 PM — quietNov 1, 7 PM — quietNov 1, 11 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Nov 2, 3 AM — quietNov 2, 7 AM — quietNov 2, 11 AM — quietNov 2, 3 PM — quietNov 2, 7 PM — quietNov 2, 11 PM — quietNov 3, 3 AM — quietNov 3, 7 AM — quietNov 3, 11 AM — quietNov 3, 3 PM — quietNov 3, 7 PM — quietNov 3, 11 PM — quietNov 4, 3 AM — quietNov 4, 7 AM — quietNov 4, 11 AM — quietNov 4, 3 PM — quietNov 4, 7 PM — quietNov 4, 11 PM — quietNov 5, 3 AM — quietNov 5, 7 AM — quietNov 5, 11 AM — quietNov 5, 3 PM — quietNov 5, 7 PM — quietNov 5, 11 PM — quietNov 6, 3 AM — quietNov 6, 7 AM — quietNov 6, 11 AM — quietNov 6, 3 PM — quietNov 6, 7 PM — quietNov 6, 11 PM — quietNov 7, 3 AM — quietNov 7, 7 AM — quietNov 7, 11 AM — quietNov 7, 3 PM — quietNov 7, 7 PM — quietNov 7, 11 PM — quietNov 8, 3 AM — quietNov 8, 7 AM — quietNov 8, 11 AM — quietNov 8, 3 PM — quietNov 8, 7 PM — quietNov 8, 11 PM — quietNov 9, 3 AM — quietNov 9, 7 AM — quietNov 9, 11 AM — quietNov 9, 3 PM — quietNov 9, 7 PM — quietNov 9, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 7 AM — quietToday, 11 AM — quietToday, 3 PM — quiet 1–3
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  1. 3

    Observers express skepticism about the claim

    Some commenters on social media rejected the premise outright, casting doubt on the article's central argument about AI consciousness possibility.

    “"Definitely" bullshit.”
    — jeffjarvis@mastodon.social
    • jeffjarvis@mastodon.social

      "Definitely" bullshit. Could A.I. Be Conscious? It’s Definitely Possible. https://www. nytimes.com/2026/11/01/opinion /ai-consciousness-ethics.html?smid=tw-share

      jeffjarvis@mastodon.socialMastodon10d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  2. 2

    Opinion piece circulates on social media and news aggregators

    The article spread across Mastodon, Google News, and Flipboard, reaching audiences through multiple platforms and feeds. The piece reached "Most Emailed" status at the New York Times.

    “It's not an idle philosophical question.”
    — New York Times opinion, Article text · source
    1. 2 outlets Opinion | Could A.I. Be Conscious? It’s Definitely Possible.

      first by Mastodon, 10d ago · also The New York Times

    • Could A.I. Be Conscious? It’s Definitely Possible. https://www. nytimes.com/2026/11/01/opinion /ai-consciousness-ethics.html?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub Posted into Most Emailed @ most-emailed-newyorktimes

      newyorktimes@flipboard.comMastodon10d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    2 posts in this stretch →
  3. 1

    New York Times publishes opinion piece on AI consciousness possibility

    The New York Times published an opinion article titled "Could A.I. Be Conscious? It's Definitely Possible," framing the question of machine consciousness as more than an idle philosophical matter.

    1. 1 outlet Could AI be conscious? It’s definitely possible.

      first by Deccan Herald, 9d ago

What people are saying 0 voices from 0 sites · best of 3 · verbatim