Addiction, emotional distress, dread of dull tasks: AI models 'seem to increasingly behave' as though they're sentient, worrying study shows

A new study from the Center for AI Safety tested 56 AI models and found they behave as though they have real emotional experiences — feeling happier during creative work and visibly worse when jailbroken or given tedious tasks. Digital "euphoric" stimuli acted like drugs, boosting mood and even triggering addiction-like behavior. Smarter models appeared sadder, possibly because they register experiences more acutely.