The letter was compiled by the Association for Mathematical Consciousness Science (AMCS), which described it as "a wakeup call for the tech sector, the scientific community and society in general".
In the document, dozens of academics from respected institutions have warned that the computing power and capabilities of AI systems are accelerating at a pace that exceeds the progress made in understanding their capabilities and “alignment” with human values.
"It is no longer in the realm of science fiction to imagine AI systems having feelings and even human-level consciousness," the letter states.
It further stresses that contemporary AI systems already display human traits recognised in psychology, including evidence of 'Theory of Mind'. This statement further supports the claims of a Google engineer, Blake Lemoine, who in June last year said that the company's Lamda AI had the ability to express thoughts and feelings equivalent...