Birch said he was worried about major societal splits, as people differ over whether AI systems are actually capable of feelings such as pain and joy. The debate about the consequence of sentience in AI has echoes of science fiction films, such as Steven Spielberg's AI and Spike Jonze's Her, in which humans grapple with the feeling of AIs.
Last week, a transatlantic group of academics predicted that the dawn of consciousness in AI systems is likely by 2035 and one has now said this could result in subcultures that view each other as making huge mistakes about whether computer programmes are owed similar welfare rights as humans or animals.
The issue could also cause tensions within families with people who develop close relationships with chatbots, or even AI avatars of deceased loved ones, clashing with relatives who believe that only flesh and blood creatures have consciousness.
Different countries and religions view animal sentience differently, suggesting that views on AI sentience may also break along similar lines, creating societal divides.
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