Microsoft AI Chief: Consciousness Limited to Biological Beings

The 2012 paper “ImageNet Classification with Deep Convolutional Neural Networks” (AlexNet) cut ImageNet top‑5 error from roughly 25–26% to 15.3%, replacing hand‑engineered features with learned deep convolutional features and helping launch the modern deep‑learning era. Separately, Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman told CNBC at AfroTech that only biological beings can have consciousness and that current AI only creates a “seeming narrative of experience,” so it does not truly feel pain or suffering. Citing the philosophical idea of biological naturalism, he said pursuing research to make AI conscious is the “wrong question” and potentially misleading even as models become more convincing and the market for AI companions and AGI advances. He has reiterated this view in prior essays and public comments and urged developers to focus AI work on tangible human benefits rather than simulating subjective experience.