The people who believe that AI might become conscious

The "Dreamachine" is designed to study how the human brain generates our conscious experiences of the world.

Sussex University researchers hope to better understand what's happening within the silicon brains of artificial intelligence.

Some believe that AI systems will soon become independently conscious, if they haven't already.

Some in the tech sector believe that AI in our computers and phones may already be conscious.

Professor Seth worries that we may be rushing headlong into a society that is being rapidly reshaped by the sheer pace of technological change without sufficient knowledge about the science, or thought about the consequences.

One reason he thinks it possible is that no-one, not even the people who developed these systems, knows exactly how they work.

Australian firm Cortical Labs has developed a system of nerve cells in a dish that can play Pong video game Pong .

Some experts feel that if consciousness is to emerge, it is most likely to be from larger, more advanced versions of these living tissue systems.

Prof Seth: We may well be living in a world populated by humanoid robots and deepfakes that seem conscious.