Philosopher clashes with consciousness scientist over banning mental language for AI
jankulveit · x · 2026-09-01
A dispute over AI language norms: consciousness researcher Anil Seth argues people should not say agents "feel, want, or figure things out," noting his credence in current AI consciousness is near zero but not zero. Philosopher Jan Kulveit counters this is wrong on many levels: by policing language, Seth is implicitly fighting Dennett (whom he cites approvingly), Lakoff, and ultimately Wittgenstein — we don't ban saying "the deadline is approaching" just because relativity says time is spacetime geometry; metaphorical language remains fine even if less literal.
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