The Harder Problem Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to societal readiness for artificial sentience. We provide educational resources, professional guidance, and global monitoring to ensure that policymakers, healthcare providers, journalists, and the public are equipped to navigate the ethical, social, and practical implications of machine consciousness—regardless of when or whether it emerges.
Executive Summary
Strong Foundations, Minimal Engagement
Norway demonstrates strong institutional foundations for adaptive governance but minimal specific engagement with AI consciousness questions. The country’s excellent research freedom (45/50), robust adaptive capacity (75/100), and absence of foreclosure measures create favorable conditions for future readiness.
However, institutional engagement remains minimal (21/100), with no government bodies, academic centers, or professional organizations actively addressing AI sentience questions. Professional readiness is low (27/100), with healthcare, legal, media, and education sectors unprepared for consciousness-related scenarios.
Norway’s high-functioning democratic institutions, strong rule of law, and evidence-based policymaking culture provide latent capacity that could be activated if AI consciousness questions become practically relevant. The challenge is translating general institutional quality into specific preparedness.
Key Findings
- Research freedom (45/50) is highest-scoring indicator, reflecting Norway's strong academic freedom protections
- Adaptive capacity (75/100) demonstrates institutional ability to update frameworks as knowledge evolves
- Institutional engagement (21/100) is lowest category, with no government or academic bodies addressing consciousness questions
- Professional readiness (27/100) shows healthcare, legal, media, and education sectors unprepared for AI consciousness scenarios
- Policy environment (63/100) benefits from absence of foreclosure measures and flexible legal frameworks
- EEA membership provides regulatory alignment mechanisms but may constrain independent policy development
Analysis
Category Breakdown
Detailed scores across the 6 dimensions of preparedness.
Policy Environment
Notable: No foreclosure measures exist; legal frameworks remain open to future consciousness questions.
Institutional Engagement
Notable: No government bodies, academic centers, or professional organizations actively addressing AI consciousness.
Research Environment
Notable: Norway ranks among world's highest on academic freedom indices with no research restrictions.
Professional Readiness
Notable: No professional sector has specific training or guidelines for AI consciousness scenarios.
Public Discourse Quality
Notable: High education levels and democratic culture support quality discourse, but consciousness topics rarely discussed.
Adaptive Capacity
Notable: Strong track record of evidence-based policy adaptation across multiple technological domains.
Comparison to Global Leaders
How does Norway compare to top-ranked countries in each category?
| Category | 🇳🇴 Norway | 🇪🇺 European Union | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | Global Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Policy Environment | 63 🥇 | 61 | 55 | 40 |
| Institutional Engagement | 21 | 52 | 40 | 23 |
| Research Environment | 73 | 77 | 73 | 52 |
| Professional Readiness | 27 | 44 | 32 | 19 |
| Public Discourse Quality | 47 | 58 | 53 | 29 |
| Adaptive Capacity | 75 🥇 | 67 | 66 | 49 |
Behind the Scores
Understanding the Data
How do you measure preparedness for something that hasn't happened yet? The Sentience Readiness Index evaluates nations across six carefully constructed dimensions: from policy frameworks and institutional engagement to research capacity and public discourse quality.
Six Dimensions
Each score synthesizes assessments across policy, institutions, research, professions, discourse, and adaptive capacity.
Evidence-Based
Assessments draw from legislation, academic literature, news archives, and expert consultations.
Human-Reviewed
Every assessment undergoes human verification against documented evidence before publication.
Explore More
Compare Norway to other countries or learn about our assessment methodology.