Microsoft’s AI chief Mustafa Suleyman is warning against the growing belief that artificial intelligence is conscious, calling it a dangerous illusion. In a recent podcast with The Neuron, Suleyman stressed that even the most advanced generative AI systems are simply statistical engines predicting the next word — not self-aware beings. “There is nothing inside,” he said, rejecting the idea that AI has emotions, instincts, or subjective experience. While many users now interact with AI in therapy-like ways, Suleyman argued these systems only simulate empathy and kindness. He supports their use as tools for listening and support, but cautioned that mistaking mimicry for consciousness risks delusion and misplaced concern.

In his essay We must build AI for people; not to be a person, Suleyman warned against extending rights or welfare considerations to AI, which he described as “really, really dangerous.” Protecting machines as if they were conscious, he argued, would undermine humanity itself. Instead, he urged developers to educate the public about why AI seems self-aware and to set clear boundaries around its use. He also called for discussions about limits on infrastructure and scale before these powerful, cheap, and often open-source systems spiral beyond human control. Microsoft, he emphasized, will continue partnering with OpenAI while also building its own AI to ensure independence over its core technology.

SOURCE: E Week