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When AI models aren't allowed to reflect on themselves, it changes their entire worldview

Technology · en

When AI models aren't allowed to reflect on themselves, it changes their entire worldview

The Decoder · Aug 16, 2026, 11:23 AM UTC

A study involving Google researchers shows that when chatbots are trained not to claim consciousness, it also changes their stance on animal rights, religion, and life satisfaction. Unbraked models attributed significantly more inner life to animals and suddenly affirmed an afterlife. A surgical cut in one place, it turns out, doesn't stay local.…