Do you see AI as “aware” without seeing it as "conscious"?

A recent study involving 1,092 participants across five experiments explored perceptions of AI. The research found that people rated human and AI systems similarly when both were described as reacting to their environment. The study prompts consideration of whether AI can be perceived as "aware" without being considered "conscious," or if these terms are essentially interchangeable in public understanding.

This study is the first to quantify how people distinguish between AI "awareness" and "consciousness" based on environmental reactions, unlike previous qualitative discussions.