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
The Emerging Awareness Gap
The United States demonstrates strong research capacity and institutional flexibility but lacks coordinated policy frameworks specifically addressing AI consciousness. Academic institutions and private AI labs are actively engaging with consciousness questions, while government attention remains diffuse and reactive. Legal systems retain adaptive capacity through common law traditions, though no formal mechanisms exist for sentience-specific inquiries.
Professional communities show minimal preparation for consciousness-related scenarios, and public discourse remains largely superficial despite high media attention. The US benefits from robust research freedom and significant technical capacity, but this has not translated into systematic readiness planning or professional training programs.
Overall, the US exhibits partial readiness—strong foundational conditions undermined by absence of targeted frameworks and professional preparation.
Key Findings
- Research Environment (73/100): Leading global capacity in AI consciousness research with institutions like NYU, Stanford, and major AI labs actively investigating these questions, though funding specifically for consciousness research remains limited.
- Policy Environment (45/100): No federal legislation addresses AI sentience; legal frameworks retain flexibility through common law but lack proactive mechanisms for consciousness-specific inquiry.
- Professional Readiness (28/100): Healthcare, legal, media, and education professionals lack systematic training or guidelines for navigating AI consciousness questions.
- Institutional Engagement (52/100): Academic engagement is robust, but government attention is fragmented and professional organizations have issued minimal guidance.
- Adaptive Capacity (58/100): Strong legal adaptive mechanisms exist through common law and regulatory flexibility, though institutional learning on this specific issue is nascent.
- Public Discourse (48/100): High awareness following incidents like the LaMDA controversy, but discourse quality remains polarized between dismissal and sensationalism.
Analysis
Category Breakdown
Detailed scores across the 6 dimensions of preparedness.
Policy Environment
Notable: Common law tradition allows personhood expansion precedents (corporations, limited animal rights in some states).
Institutional Engagement
Notable: NYU Center for Mind, Brain and Consciousness hosts regular workshops on machine consciousness theory.
Research Environment
Notable: US hosts world's leading AI labs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind US) actively researching alignment and welfare.
Professional Readiness
Notable: No medical, legal, or educational professional associations have issued AI consciousness guidance or training.
Public Discourse Quality
Notable: LaMDA incident (2022) generated massive public awareness but polarized discourse between dismissal and anthropomorphization.
Adaptive Capacity
Notable: Common law system has adapted to recognize corporate personhood, limited animal rights, and evolving technology challenges.
Comparison to Global Leaders
How does United States compare to top-ranked countries in each category?
| Category | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇳🇴 Norway | 🇪🇺 European Union | Global Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Policy Environment | 45 | 63 | 61 | 40 |
| Institutional Engagement | 52 🥇 | 40 | 38 | 23 |
| Research Environment | 73 | 77 | 73 | 52 |
| Professional Readiness | 28 | 44 | 32 | 19 |
| Public Discourse Quality | 48 | 58 | 53 | 29 |
| Adaptive Capacity | 58 | 75 | 67 | 49 |
Organizations
Key Research Institutions
Organizations contributing to the United States research environment.
Sentience Institute
New York City, New York
Nonprofit think tank conducting research on digital minds, AI sentience, and moral status through their Artificial Intelligence, Morality, and Sentience (AIMS) survey and related empirical studies.
Visit WebsiteEleos AI Research
Not specified, Not specified
Nonprofit organization explicitly dedicated to understanding and addressing the potential wellbeing and moral patienthood of AI systems, conducting research on AI consciousness, agency, and welfare.
Visit WebsiteNYU Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness
New York, New York
Interdisciplinary center at NYU directed by Ned Block and David Chalmers that hosts debates and workshops on AI consciousness, digital minds, and related foundational questions in philosophy of mind.
Visit WebsiteCenter for AI Safety (CAIS)
San Francisco, California
Nonprofit research organization that includes AI safety philosophy fellowship examining conceptual problems including moral patienthood and consciousness considerations in AI systems.
Visit WebsiteCenter for Consciousness Science (University of Arizona)
Tucson, Arizona
Established center integrating perspectives from philosophy, cognitive sciences, neuroscience, and other fields to study consciousness, hosting the long-running Science of Consciousness conferences that address artificial consciousness.
Visit WebsiteCenter for Consciousness Science (University of Michigan)
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Research center focused on consciousness science with potential applications to understanding consciousness in both biological and artificial systems.
Visit WebsiteInstitute for Advanced Consciousness Studies (IACS)
Not specified, Not specified
501(c)(3) research laboratory founded in 2019 using immersive technology, neuromodulation, and altered states to study consciousness with potential implications for understanding consciousness in artificial systems.
Visit WebsiteLegal Priorities Project
Not specified, Not specified
Research organization conducting legal research on AI sentience, moral status, and protection frameworks, including surveys on legal personhood and standing for sentient AI systems.
Visit WebsiteCenter for Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence (CHAI)
Berkeley, California
UC Berkeley research center developing provably beneficial AI systems with research on value alignment and moral reasoning that touches on questions of AI moral status.
Visit WebsiteCalifornia Institute for Machine Consciousness (CIMC)
San Francisco, California
Nonprofit research institute studying artificial consciousness through interdisciplinary approaches combining AI, neuroscience, and cognitive science, directed by Joscha Bach.
Visit WebsiteStanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI)
Stanford, California
Major interdisciplinary institute at Stanford conducting research on AI's human impact, including discussions of consciousness and ethical implications of advanced AI systems.
Visit WebsiteLongview Philanthropy (Digital Sentience Consortium)
Not specified, Not specified
Philanthropic organization coordinating the Digital Sentience Consortium, providing major funding for research, fellowships, and applied work on AI consciousness, sentience, and moral status.
Visit WebsiteBehind 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 United States to other countries or learn about our assessment methodology.