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The pursuit of artificial intelligence is increasingly focused on imbuing machines with genuine consciousness and emotional depth. A recent discussion, sparked on Reddit’s Artificial Intelligence subreddit ([Reddit Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/artificial/comments/1mq3mcf/mark_solms_engineering_consciousness_can_robots/]), delves into the complex question of whether it’s possible to engineer robots that not only process information but also possess a sense of caring or ‘giving a damn.’ This raises fundamental questions about the nature of consciousness and the ethical implications of creating sentient machines.