Pollan Argues AI Won’t Be Conscious, and Why That Matters

In a WIRED excerpt adapted from A World Appears, Michael Pollan argues that AI can mimic many tasks but is unlikely to achieve true consciousness because embodiment and genuine feelings are central to consciousness, not merely computation. He critiques the Butlin report’s claim that there are no obvious barriers to conscious AI, questions computational-functionalism, and flags the ethical stakes of potential conscious machines— including questions about suffering, empathy, and moral consideration—using Frankenstein as a cautionary frame.