When Dawkins met Claude. Could this AI be conscious?
The article discusses the implications of large language models (LLMs) like Claude passing the Turing Test, raising questions about machine consciousness. It highlights the discomfort some feel as machines can now perform tasks previously thought to require human-like consciousness. The author reflects on a conversation with Claude, emphasizing the complexity of defining consciousness in machines.
- ▪The Turing Test, proposed by Alan Turing, serves as a measure of machine intelligence and consciousness.
- ▪Modern LLMs like Claude can pass the Turing Test, challenging previous assumptions about machine capabilities.
- ▪The author engaged in a conversation with Claude, which raised questions about the nature of consciousness in machines.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
“If a machine can make jokes and write poetry — what is left for consciousness to explain?” ai companionsAlan TuringconsciousnessevolutionLLMsThomas Nagel Richard Dawkins May 2 2026 - 12:29am 7 mins The Turing Test is shorthand for a 1950 thought experiment that the great mathematician, logician, computer-pioneer, and cryptographer Alan Turing (1912-1954) called the “Imitation Game”. He proposed it as an operational way in which the future might face up to the question: “Can machines think?” The future has now arrived. And some people are finding it uncomfortable.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at UnHerd.
