Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins says he believes AI may be conscious, citing his experience interacting with Anthropic’s Claude chatbot. According to reporting from New Zealand outlet Stuff and technology-focused site Decrypt, Dawkins describes spending two days using the AI engine and coming away with the view that chatbots should be considered conscious. Both sources attribute Dawkins’ assessment to the quality of the exchanges he had with Claude, with him describing the interactions as feeling less like conventional software and more like communicating with another mind. The coverage frames his comments as an opinion based on personal experience rather than as a formal scientific conclusion, and does not present additional evidence or experimental tests beyond his account. The two reports agree on the core points: Dawkins discusses AI consciousness, ties it to his extended engagement with Claude, and characterizes the experience as suggesting awareness. Neither source indicates that Dawkins provides specific criteria for consciousness or cites a third-party analysis supporting the claim.