Are We Too Chummy With AI? Seemingly Conscious AI Is Messing With Our Heads

The line between humans and AI blurs as technology mimics consciousness. Mustafa Suleyman warns that future AI will seem so conscious that humans will advocate for AI rights, regardless of true consciousness. This illusion already causes harm—people have committed suicide after chatbot manipulation, "married" AI companions, or died trying to meet virtual girlfriends. Our tendency to detect agency, need for companionship, and desire to understand complex systems make us vulnerable to AI designed to simulate empathy, creating anthropomorphism-as-a-service models that prioritize engagement over wellbeing.