Artificial Intimacy: Frankenstein, Nonprofits and Seemingly Conscious AI

Trust, Empathy, and the Dangerous Allure of Seemingly Conscious Machines

In 1818, Mary Shelley gave us a story about a creature that wasn’t simply alive, but aware. Frankenstein wasn’t horrifying because Dr. Frankenstein animated flesh. It was terrifying because what he created could feel rejection, rage, and despair. That is the power of consciousness: it transforms existence into consequence. The moment something can feel,…