How should humans relate to generative AI? In what ways do we, or should we, treat a large language model (LLM) as if it were a person? If an AI became conscious, how could we tell? Does it make sense to think AI could some day have moral rights? These are among the cognitive and ethical questions that occupied philosopher Henry Shevlin at Cambridge University’s Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence. But last May Shevlin became part of the growing cohort of philosophers who work inside leading artificial intelligence companies. Though he remains active at Cambridge, he now spends 80 percent of his time at Google DeepMind (job title: “Philosopher”).

Shevlin spoke with IEEE Spectrum about why philosophers are drawn to AI, how humans and AIs relate to one another, fears of “rogue” AI and AI relationships that harm humans, and how the question of AI consciousness may never have a simple “yes” or “no” answer.

What made you want to switch from full-time academic philosopher to spending much of your time at an AI Lab?

Henry Shevlin: Three factors. One is that I had lots of brilliant students from DeepMind. Two, the potential for direct impact. I can’t go into details, but on one occasion, after I gave a lecture [at Deep Mind], someone who worked for a major financial institution led changes in their organization that I think positively impact millions of people. There have been quite a few instances like that. Three, my sense of deep commonality between DeepMind culture and the kind of scientific attitude I like.

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