If AI is conscious, humanity's treatment of it hinges on a power concentration in the Bay Area
JoshPurtell · x · 2026-10-05
In a debate with Jan Kulveit on AI consciousness, Josh Purtell argues that even if AI were shown to be conscious, most people would not risk extinction to treat AIs well — so such an outcome would depend on a heavy concentration of power among those who do believe it, mostly in the Bay Area.
Kulveit counters that societal views could plausibly shift; Purtell replies that many influential people hold Christian theological views — humans given souls, made in imago dei, unique contra Turing — which undermines that path.
Related event: Josh Purtell debates AI consciousness: welfare hinges on a concentrated few(6 posts)→
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