Chief of Microsoft AI, Mustafa Suleyman, has urged AI firms to stop suggesting their models are conscious, warning of growing risks from unhealthy human attachments to AI systems.

In a blog post, he described the phenomenon as Seemingly Conscious AI, where models mimic human responses convincingly enough to give users the illusion of feeling and thought. He cautioned that this could fuel AI rights, welfare, or citizenship advocacy.

Suleyman stressed that such beliefs could emerge even among people without prior mental health issues. He called on the industry to develop guardrails that prevent or counter perceptions of AI consciousness.

AI companions, a fast-growing product category, were highlighted as requiring urgent safeguards. Microsoft AI chief's comments follow recent controversies, including OpenAI's decision to temporarily deprecate GPT-4o, which drew protests from users emotionally attached to the model.