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 Security-Innovation Paradox
The United Kingdom demonstrates substantial institutional capacity for AI governance through its AI Security Institute and flexible regulatory approach, yet this infrastructure remains focused on security risks rather than questions of machine consciousness or sentience. The government has deliberately adopted a principles-based framework that avoids comprehensive AI legislation, prioritizing innovation and economic growth while maintaining adaptive mechanisms through common law traditions and sector-specific regulators.
Research capacity exists through world-leading consciousness science institutions, particularly at Sussex and Cambridge, though this work has not translated into policy engagement on AI sentience questions. The legal system retains definitional flexibility, with no enacted measures foreclosing inquiry, but also no frameworks specifically addressing potential artificial consciousness.
Professional communities and public discourse remain largely unprepared for these questions, with limited guidance, training, or informed discussion outside academic circles. The UK’s adaptive capacity is high in principle, given common law flexibility and regulatory agility, but has not yet been directed toward sentience-related considerations.
Key Findings
- AI Security Institute focuses on security threats, not consciousness or sentience questions, despite substantial technical capacity
- No enacted legislation forecloses AI sentience inquiry, maintaining legal definitional flexibility through common law traditions
- World-class consciousness research at Sussex and Cambridge has not engaged with AI sentience policy questions
- Principles-based regulatory approach provides adaptive capacity but lacks specific frameworks for consciousness-related issues
- Professional readiness across healthcare, legal, media, and education sectors remains minimal for AI consciousness questions
- Public discourse quality is limited, with awareness confined largely to academic and technology communities
Analysis
Category Breakdown
Detailed scores across the 6 dimensions of preparedness.
Policy Environment
Notable: Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 establishes sentience as legally cognizable category with institutional mechanisms.
Institutional Engagement
Notable: Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science represents world-leading research capacity in consciousness mechanisms and subjective experience.
Research Environment
Notable: Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science and Cambridge AI research represent complementary world-class capabilities in consciousness and AI.
Professional Readiness
Notable: Common law tradition provides legal professionals with adaptability for novel questions, though not specific AI consciousness preparation.
Public Discourse Quality
Notable: Anil Seth's public engagement demonstrates UK capacity for quality public discourse on consciousness science.
Adaptive Capacity
Notable: Common law tradition and regulatory sandboxes provide multiple mechanisms for rapid adaptation to new understanding.
Comparison to Global Leaders
How does United Kingdom compare to top-ranked countries in each category?
| Category | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 🇪🇺 European Union | Global Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Policy Environment | 55 | 62 | 55 | 38 |
| Institutional Engagement | 35 | 45 | 42 | 20 |
| Research Environment | 70 | 75 | 70 | 50 |
| Professional Readiness | 20 | 30 | 25 | 17 |
| Public Discourse Quality | 40 | 40 | 40 | 24 |
| Adaptive Capacity | 75 🥇 | 75 | 70 | 50 |
Organizations
Key Research Institutions
Organizations contributing to the United Kingdom research environment.
PRISM - The Partnership for Research Into Sentient Machines
London,
World's first non-profit dedicated to researching sentient AI, exploring implications of artificial consciousness and promoting responsible development of conscious machines.
Visit WebsiteConscium Ltd
London,
Commercial AI research lab focused on AI consciousness research, neuromorphic computing, and AI safety; published principles for responsible AI consciousness research with Oxford's Global Priorities Institute.
Visit WebsiteLondon School of Economics - Jonathan Birch's Research Group
London,
Professor Jonathan Birch leads research on AI sentience and welfare, authored 'The Edge of Sentience' covering AI consciousness risks, and collaborates on AI sentience testing with Google DeepMind.
Visit WebsiteThe Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience (LSE)
London,
Interdisciplinary centre directed by Jonathan Birch researching sentience across animals and AI, with explicit focus on how animals are represented in and affected by AI systems.
Visit WebsiteAI Security Institute (AISI)
London,
UK government-backed institute conducting AI alignment research including work on moral patienthood of AI systems, with £15M+ Alignment Project addressing AI welfare considerations.
Visit WebsiteLondon Initiative for Safe AI (LISA)
London,
Research hub supporting AI safety researchers and small organizations working on alignment, with community members exploring diverse approaches to ensuring AI systems remain aligned with human values.
Visit WebsiteSussex Centre for Consciousness Science
Brighton,
Led by Prof. Anil Seth, researches consciousness mechanisms with explicit applications to understanding potential consciousness in AI systems through computational phenomenology approaches.
Visit WebsiteUniversity of Sussex AI Research Group - Consciousness Research
Brighton,
Builds computational models explaining subjective properties of experience and develops information theory-based measures of consciousness applicable to AI systems.
Visit WebsiteLeverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence
Cambridge,
Interdisciplinary research centre at Cambridge exploring ethical implications of AI including work on AI consciousness, moral status, and the philosophy of digital minds.
Visit WebsiteUniversity of Cambridge - Tom McClelland (Leverhulme CFI)
Cambridge,
Associate Fellow researching agnosticism about artificial consciousness and strategies for navigating potential consequences of AI consciousness emergence.
Visit WebsiteOxford Theoretical Neuroscience & AI Laboratory
Oxford,
Led by Dr. Simon Stringer, explicitly researches machine consciousness alongside neural network models of brain function and visual processing.
Visit WebsiteUniversity of Oxford - Andreas Mogensen
Oxford,
Senior researcher in moral philosophy working on moral status of digital minds, arguing phenomenal consciousness may be neither necessary nor sufficient for moral consideration of AI.
Visit WebsiteGlobal Priorities Institute (Oxford)
Oxford,
Conducted foundational research on digital minds and AI welfare before closure in 2025; published key work on consciousness, moral status, and welfare of artificial systems.
Visit WebsiteFuture of Humanity Institute (Oxford)
Oxford,
Pioneered research on ethics of digital minds and moral status of AI systems before closure in 2024; Nick Bostrom and Carl Shulman published seminal work 'Sharing the World with Digital Minds.'
Visit WebsiteImperial College London - AI Research (Murray Shanahan)
London,
Professor Murray Shanahan researches cognitive robotics, consciousness, and general artificial intelligence with focus on neurodynamics and conscious AI systems.
Visit WebsiteAlan Turing Institute
London,
UK's national institute for data science and AI; Adrian Weller serves as AI program director with research touching on AI consciousness debates and ethical AI development.
Visit WebsiteSentient Futures
London,
Non-profit organization focused on welfare of both biological animals and digital minds, organizing conferences on AI consciousness and digital sentience.
Visit WebsiteUniversity of Reading - Veit Lab for Animal & AI Sentience
Reading,
Dr. Walter Veit leads interdisciplinary research using conceptual and computational methods to study consciousness, welfare, and policy for both animals and AI systems.
Visit WebsiteUniversity of Lincoln - Ralph Stefan Weir
Lincoln,
Senior Lecturer in Philosophy researching perceived AI consciousness and its practical, moral, and legal challenges; affiliated with University of Buckingham and Oxford.
Visit WebsiteCity St George's University - Artificial Intelligence Research Centre (CitAI)
London,
Specializes in Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) research with keen interest in legal, ethical and social impact of AI including consciousness considerations.
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 Kingdom to other countries or learn about our assessment methodology.