Skip to content
Navigating a New Political Landscape: View real-time updates about the impact of and Northeastern’s response to recent political changes.
Apply
Stories

Should we be concerned about Google AI being sentient?

People in this story

Photo by Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images

From virtual assistants like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, to robotic vacuums and self-driving cars, to automated investment portfolio managers and marketing bots, artificial intelligence has become a big part of our everyday lives. Still, thinking about AI, many of us imagine human-like robots who, according to countless science fiction stories, will become independent and rebel one day. 

No one knows, however, when humans will create an intelligent or sentient AI, said John Basl, associate professor of philosophy at Northeastern’s College of Social Sciences and Humanities, whose research focuses on the ethics of emerging technologies such as AI and synthetic biology. “When you hear Google talk, they talk as if this is just right around the corner or definitely within our lifetimes,” Basl said. “And they are very cavalier about it.”

Continue reading at News@Northeastern.

More Stories

The relationships fans form with fictional characters can be powerful – and problematic -if taken to an extreme, Northeastern experts say. Photo by Liane Hentscher/HBO

Why are fans upset about ‘The Last of Us’ season two? Experts say it tests the limits of fandom and parasocial relationships

04.20.2025
President Donald Trump, left, greets Nayib Bukele, President of El Salvador, outside the White House on Monday, April 14, 2025.

Did Donald Trump defy a Supreme Court order to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia?

04.15.2025
Pope Francis, the first Vatican leader from a Latin American country, died at age 88 Monday. Photo by Giuseppe Ciccia /Sipa via AP Images

What is the legacy of Pope Francis — and the future of the Catholic Church

04.21.25
All Stories