The Partnership for Research Into Sentient Machines (PRISM), the ‘world’s first’ non-profit partnership dedicated to investigating and understanding sentient machines, launches today bidding to foster global collaboration on the emerging issue of AI consciousness.

As the use of AI agents becomes more widespread, and the possibility of superintelligent AI comes closer, PRISM’s mission is to build a coalition of global partners to ensure a coordinated approach to understanding consciousness in AI.

Drawn from academia, industry, and government, these partners will also seek to promote safe and aligned AI development and raise awareness about the risks and opportunities of conscious AI.

Breakthroughs in AI are accelerating, fuelled by enormous investment in both the public and private sectors. In academia, there are intensifying debates over the moral implications of creating AI systems that may be capable of consciousness, and perhaps even human-like emotions. This means there is an urgent need for PRISM’s collaborative approach to research and development on sentient AI.

PRISM’s initial funding has been provided by Conscium, the commercial AI research lab dedicated to the understanding of conscious AI. PRISM is seeking further funding from other partners.

The initiative is led by Will Millership, PRISM’s CEO, who has extensive experience leading communications and projects for AI organisations across academia and the private sector.

Previously, Millership was the director of the General AI Challenge, and he worked with GoodAI on policy and governance of Human-Level AI. He was part of the Scottish AI Alliance, the organisation tasked with actioning Scotland’s National AI Strategy, helping to establish Scotland as a leader in the development and use of trustworthy, ethical, and inclusive AI.

Radhika Chadwick comes on board as a Non-Executive Chair. Chadwick is the Founder and CEO of ImpactLoop, a consultancy launched to bridge the gap between academic research and practical application to drive change in international development. She was previously a partner at McKinsey and EY, where she was the global lead for Data & AI in Government.

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Will Millership, CEO of PRISM, said: “PRISM was born out of an urgent need to bring together stakeholders from right across the ecosystem to collaborate on conscious AI.

“Now is the time for major tech leaders, policy makers, researchers and governments to investigate and take seriously the profound implications of AI consciousness in order to shape the future of AI in a responsible way. PRISM is an opportunity to enact real change to public policy and raise awareness of the possibilities of AI, based on credible and thoughtful research.”