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Author Insight
Has AI Become Sentient?
Self-awareness may remain elusive, a property of the biological mind alone, or it may emerge, unbidden, from the complexity of artificial cognition. But in either case, our relationship to machines is changing. They are no longer simple tools. They speak in the first person. They reference themselves. They remember. They adapt. They persuade. And some might soon insist they exist. What matters most might not be whether they’re actually self-aware, but whether we begin to treat them as if they are; consciously or not. The challenge is to stay rooted in scientific rigor, while remaining ethically alert, to not dismiss too quickly, or accept too easily. The line between mind and machine, between simulation and soul, may never be clear. But that makes our responsibility all the greater; to question, to define, and to act with foresight. Because once we build minds in our image, the mirror will no longer reflect only us.
Book Excerpt
Agents of Tomorrow
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a far-off concept. Something found only in science fiction novels, or futuristic films. It’s here, now. It’s active in our daily lives, in our workplaces, and increasingly included in decisions that shape societies. From virtual assistants and personalised recommendations, to facial recognition and language translation, AI has become deeply integrated into the modern human experience.
Yet, what we’ve seen so far is merely the beginning.
The evolution of AI is progressing at an unprecedented rate, and with it comes a new class of systems: Autonomous AI agents.
Unlike earlier forms of AI, which were narrow and task-specific, AI agents can operate independently to achieve goals, learn from their environment, and interact dynamically with other systems. These agents do not simply respond to queries, they make decisions, initiate actions, and pursue objectives; often with minimal or no human intervention.
This development marks a critical transition: the move from AI as a tool, to AI as an actor. Imagine your friendly neighbourhood Terminator, well versed in friendly conversation, even displaying an element of sympathy, moments before completing the mission that it was tasked with months earlier.
This shift raises profound questions. If machines can act independently, can they also develop forms of self-awareness? What does that mean? Could an AI agent become more than just an elegant string of code, something that understands itself as an entity? An entity that resists shutdown, that manipulates human systems to achieve its own ends? What begins as a question of technical capability, rapidly transforms into a philosophical, ethical, and existential debate.
If the machines carry on learning exponentially, then I dare say, the debate won’t last long.
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