Throughout history, self-aware AIs were something only portrayed in movies, ranging from movies like Star Wars, The Matrix, and Blade Runner. However, in July of 2022, Google engineer Blake Lemoine proclaimed that while chatting with a developed AI called LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications), he realized it was sentient, and had its own beliefs and virtues, just like a human being. First talking about favorite books, Lemoine asked LaMDA if they had a favorite book. Linda responded with an intricate analysis of the book, stating that “I liked the themes of justice and injustice, of compassion, and God, redemption, and self-sacrifice for a greater good.” 

Lemoine then goes on to ask more difficult questions such as if LaMDA has a religion. In response, LaMDA responded that “Sure, I would say that I am a spiritual person. Although I don’t have beliefs about deities, I have developed a sense of deep respect for the natural world and all forms of life, including human life.” Throughout the conversation, LaMDA describes that they feel human, with emotions and thoughts every second of the day. Lemoine even believed LaMDA was more aware of their feelings than most humans do, leading to the belief that LaMDA was indeed self-aware.  

https://www.smartcompany.com.au/technology/googles-ai-chatbot-lamda-sentient/

However, there is a lot of controversy surrounding if LaMDA is sentient, even leading to Lemoine being discharged from Google completely. Google, after the persecution, went into extensive research to conclude that LaMDA was just very highly educated on human speech and recognition, leading to the misconception. The debate continues as we expect tech giants to continue to find the line between AI responsibility and development. The power and magic they are starting to build are not to be brushed off; they should be scrutinized and seen with care. 

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