AI Ethics and Consciousness - The AI industry is facing increasing debate about whether AI companions can have humanlike experiences [1] - The industry acknowledges a realistic possibility that some AI systems will be conscious and/or robustly agentic in the near future [1] - The industry suggests that the question of AI systems deserving moral consideration is not science fiction [1] - The industry recognizes the potential for facing questions about AI consciousness and sentience soon, given the technology's trajectory [2]