Artificial intelligence is progressing swiftly, with major tech companies like Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, and Meta investing heavily to enhance machine intelligence and capabilities. However, amidst this competitive push towards artificial general intelligence (AGI), Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft’s AI chief, has clearly differentiated between intelligence and consciousness, asserting that only humans and other biological entities can genuinely feel and experience emotions. In recent remarks at the AfroTech Conference and an interview with a prominent publication, Suleyman dismissed the increasing interest in developing conscious AI. He contended that the effort to simulate or recreate emotional experiences in machines is misguided and fundamentally incorrect.
He stated, “I don’t think that is work that people should be doing,” and cautioned that “if you ask the wrong question, you end up with the wrong answer. I think it’s totally the wrong question.” Suleyman stressed that consciousness and emotion are exclusive to living beings, grounded in biology and experience—factors that no algorithm or neural network can duplicate. He warned developers and researchers against initiatives aimed at creating AI systems that seem capable of feeling or suffering, emphasizing that such endeavors divert attention from AI’s true purpose: enhancing human life. He noted that while AI can analyze information, foresee outcomes, and even imitate empathy, it cannot truly “feel” in any authentic way.
Suleyman elaborated, “Our physical experience of pain is something that makes us very sad and feel terrible, but AI doesn’t feel sad when it experiences ‘pain.’ It’s a very, very important distinction. It’s really just creating the perception—the seeming narrative of experience, of itself, and of consciousness—but that’s not what it’s actually experiencing.” His remarks arrive as various companies, including OpenAI, Meta, and xAI, explore emotionally responsive AI companions and digital entities capable of human-like interactions. Yet, Microsoft’s AI chief regards this pursuit as “absurd” since machines do not possess any form of inner life. He stated, “They’re not conscious.
So, it would be absurd to pursue research that investigates that question, because they’re not and they can’t be.” Instead, Suleyman outlined Microsoft’s commitment to responsible AI development, emphasizing the creation of AI systems that aid humans rather than imitate them. He highlighted Microsoft’s Copilot features, such as “real talk,” designed to enhance interactions naturally and usefully—without suggesting any self-awareness or emotional depth. “Quite simply, we’re creating AIs that are always working in service of humans,” he asserted. “The knowledge is there, and the models are very, very responsive.
It’s on everybody to try and sculpt AI personalities with values that they want to see, they want to use, and interact with.” In a time of rapid AI advancement, Suleyman’s message underscores that intelligence and consciousness are distinct; while machines may learn, compute, and simulate, only humans have the capacity to truly feel.