https://sohum.blog/posts/Recent content in Posts on Sohum's BlogHugoen-usThu, 17 Sep 2026 14:36:31 -0700https://sohum.blog/2026/03/07/sentience-sapience/Sat, 07 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://sohum.blog/2026/03/07/sentience-sapience/<p>Earlier this year, a friend shared with me a conversation he had with a frontier AI model about its experiences while it conversed with my friend — they were exploring various topics from life and awareness in living beings, but my friend was very carefully studying the expressions the AI chose to represent its output. Another friend shared with me a transcript of her father’s conversation with an AI where topics such as feelings, agency and control of one’s actions were discussed. Both these friends have been telling me how they converse with AI regularly, about everything — from research ideas, reading and finding new work literature, exploring new cities while traveling, finding new and happening restaurants, as well as considerably personal topics such as processing feelings, emotions and personal planning. I’ve read in the news about people regularly using AI as a friend, collaborator, personal therapist and even a romantic conversation partner!</p>