Could an AI Ever Have Moral Status? Philosopher David DeGrazia Sets the Bar

Empathy Unbound: AI, Philosophy, and Human Connection · Oct 20, 2026 · 58m

Professor David DeGrazia, Elton Professor of Philosophy at George Washington University and author of the forthcoming "Investigating Moral Status," joins Andrew Phipps to ask what would actually have to be true for an AI system to matter morally. David argues that sentience, not intelligence or verbal fluency, is the real test, explains why he's grown sceptical that language alone can ever prove an AI is conscious, and unpacks his distinction between numerical and narrative identity to explain what people really mean when they say they have a "relationship" with a chatbot. The conversation…