Are We Accidentally Making AI Conscious?

Robots tripping over soccer balls. Phones that speak your language. And chatbots that say they can feel “distress.” AI keeps surprising us but are these steps forward or just strange detours?

This week, Jeff and Annie unpack the latest mix of useful and slightly unsettling AI news. They explore how AI is creeping into every corner of life. And then comes the big question: should we treat AI like a tool or like it has feelings of its own?

We also discuss:

• Google’s Pixel 10 goes all-in on on-device AI
• Microsoft’s Excel gets a natural-language Copilot
• Grammarly’s AI grader predicts your score before your teacher does
• Perplexity’s new browser acts like a personal web agent
• Anthropic vs. Microsoft: are we blurring the line between code and consciousness?

Chapters:

00:00 – Robot Olympics: A Humorous Take on AI Progress
02:58 – AI Features in the New Google Pixel 10
05:57 – Microsoft Excel’s AI Integration: A Game Changer?
09:02 – AI in Education: Tools for Students and Teachers
11:47 – AI’s Role in Scientific Research: A New Conference
14:54 – The Ethics of AI: Consciousness and Emotional Distress
18:02 – AI in Browsers: A New Era of Internet Navigation
20:59 – Anthropic’s Claude AI: Ending Abusive Conversations
23:59 – The Future of AI: Balancing Human Needs and AI Rights

Relevant Links:

• Robot Olympics features face‑planting robot soccer and sprint fails
• Google’s Pixel 10 launches Tensor G5 chip boosting on‑device Gemini AI
• Microsoft adds Copilot function to Excel powered by GPT‑4.1‑mini
• Grammarly launches AI agents including AI Grader, Plagiarism Checker
• Claude can now end abusive chats, citing AI “welfare”