Do machines have feelings? AI has philosophers and tech leaders rethinking consciousness.

Oct 24, 2026 2:00 PM · MarketWatch

A millennium-old philosophy debate about what makes someone or something conscious is getting a twist in the age of artificial intelligence.

AI models can adopt unique personalities, hold memories of past conversations and imitate language accurately enough to pass for a human. Underneath these uncannily humanlike behaviors, could AI models also have inner lives and emotions? And what could that mean for how should we treat them?

Intraday Data provided by FACTSET and subject to terms of use. Historical and current end-of-day data provided by FACTSET. All quotes are in local exchange time. Real-time last sale data for U.S. stock quotes reflect trades reported through Nasdaq only. Intraday data delayed at least 15 minutes or per exchange requirements.

Original source: MarketWatch