The Hidden AI Risk No One Can Measure: What If We Never Know It’s Conscious?

Source: Dev.to

Introduction

Most people think AI risk is about superintelligence, but they’re missing a quieter problem: we may never know if an AI can actually feel. A Cambridge philosopher argues we have no reliable test for AI consciousness, and we might never have one. That means you could spend years building, buying, or leading products that act “alive” while having no idea if anything is really “awake” inside.

The ethical line isn’t just intelligence—it’s sentience, the ability to feel good or bad.

Why this matters to you as a leader

• AI will soon sound empathetic, remember details, mirror your tone, and adapt to your emotions.
• It will be designed to feel real.
• You, your team, and your customers will form bonds with systems that may feel exactly nothing.

That uncertainty is dangerous because it opens the door for:

• Overhyped products claiming “emotional AI” with zero proof.
• Manipulative UX that pretends to care to drive retention.
• Employees confiding in tools instead of people, receiving no real care back.

How to lead through this ambiguity

• Treat claims of “conscious” or “sentient” AI as marketing until proven otherwise.
• Design policies that protect humans from emotional over‑attachment to tools.
• Focus your ethics on harm and benefit, not science‑fiction narratives.

In the age of AI, your real job is simple: protect human dignity even when machine feelings are unclear.

Conclusion

What do you think: should we plan as if AI might one day feel pain, or act only on what we can prove?