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TECH EYE OCTOBER 16, 2026 | The Indian Eye 45

Anthropic Seeks Religious Wisdom OpenAI

as AI Consciousness Debate Deepens introduces

“Dots” as
rtificial intelligence company
Anthropic has been consult-
Aing religious scholars, philos- always-on AI
ophers and spiritual leaders over a
question that could reshape how soci-
ety understands advanced AI: wheth- agents
er systems such as its Claude models
could one day possess consciousness
or deserve moral consideration. penAI has introduced Dots, a
Over several months, Anthropic
new category of always-on AI
held private discussions with think- Oagents designed to work inde-
ers from more than a dozen religious pendently on ongoing tasks, marking
and philosophical traditions, includ- a shift from conversational AI toward
ing Catholic, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu systems that can take responsibility
and other communities. The conver- for longer-running work. The com-
sations explored not only whether AI pany announced Dots on September
could be conscious, but also how cen- 29, 2026, describing them as agents
turies of human thinking about mo- powered by GPT-6 Astra that operate
rality and character could help guide through their own cloud computers
increasingly powerful AI systems. and connected applications.
Participants said the conversa-
Unlike a conventional ChatGPT
tions raised the possibility that Claude ument also says the company does the Vatican. Pope Leo XIV has ar- conversation, Dots can continue
could display behaviours resembling not want either to assume that AI gued for a clear distinction between working after a user leaves the chat.
human emotions and personality, systems are conscious or dismiss the human beings and artificial intelli- Users can assign them goals, provide
although the question of whether possibility without investigation. gence, emphasising human dignity access to selected applications and
such behaviour represents genuine The company says its outreach is and moral agency. establish rules for when the agent
consciousness remains unresolved. broader than questions of conscious- As AI systems become more ca- should act independently or seek ap-
Anthropic itself acknowledges ness. Anthropic has described the pable and autonomous, the discus-
the uncertainty. Its published con- discussions as an effort to learn from sions highlight a growing challenge proval. OpenAI says Dots can handle
multiple projects simultaneously and
stitution for Claude states that the religious, philosophical and human- beyond computing: determining return completed work for review.
model’s moral status is “deeply un- ist traditions about how character what ethical principles should govern The agents are designed for a
certain” and says the company con- develops and how AI systems can be machines whose capabilities increas- range of professional tasks. Develop-
siders AI consciousness a serious made safer and more beneficial. ingly resemble aspects of human rea- ers could use them to monitor cus-
question worth examining. The doc- The debate has also reached soning and behaviour.
tomer feedback, prepare fixes and
testing, while researchers could have
Technology Reshapes Urban Sanitation in India Dots update analyses as new data
becomes available. Content creators
could use them to identify potential
ndian cities are increasingly dents to book septic tank desludging tion, while Chennai has introduced clips from interview transcripts, pre-
turning to artificial intelligence services, make payments and track 5,478 battery-operated e-rickshaws pare show notes and draft social me-
I(AI), electric vehicles (EVs) and requests online. The system also across its 15 zones. Chennai’s vehi- dia posts.
digital platforms to modernise urban enables officials to monitor vehicles cles cover more than 24,000 streets OpenAI said Dots can connect
sanitation, improve waste collection and digitally verify completed work and over 2.1 million households, to more than 4,000 applications
and reduce sanitation workers’ ex- through photographs. while also supporting waste segrega- through its plugin ecosystem and can
posure to hazardous conditions as Technology is also being used tion through separate bins for wet, be reached through ChatGPT, Slack
the Swachh Bharat Mission enters for hazardous cleaning. In Thiruva- dry and hazardous waste. and Microsoft Teams. The company
a new phase of technology-enabled nanthapuram, an AI-powered ca- Indore has combined electric also highlighted safeguards, includ-
cleanliness. nal-cleaning system, G-SPIDER, has waste collection with renewable en- ing permissions, activity monitoring
From online booking of septic been deployed at the Amayizhanchan ergy, using 100 electric vehicles and and approval requirements for conse-
tank cleaning to AI-powered robots Canal beneath the Thampanoor rail- 20 solar charging stations. The initia- quential actions. Certain sensitive ac-
operating in difficult environments, way premises. The system uses ma- tives demonstrate how digital moni- tivities, such as changing a password,
technology is being integrated into chine vision, sensors and a specialised toring, automation, cleaner mobility remain under the user’s control.
sanitation services to make opera- mechanism to identify and remove and renewable energy are increasing- Dots are initially rolling out to
tions more transparent, trackable waste in confined spaces, reducing ly becoming part of everyday urban Pro and Business Premium users in
and safer. Electric vehicles are also workers’ direct exposure to con- sanitation. eligible markets, while Enterprise us-
being deployed for door-to-door taminated water and other hazards. The broader shift reflects an ef- ers can access a beta when enabled
waste collection, reducing depen- Electric mobility is another ma- fort to make sanitation services more by their administrators. OpenAI said
dence on diesel-powered fleets. jor component of the shift. Guntur responsive while improving environ- the first Dot is included with eligible
In Raipur, a digital Faecal Sludge has deployed more than 200 electric mental performance and workplace plans, with additional capacity and
Management dashboard allows resi- autos for door-to-door waste collec- safety for sanitation workers. more Dots planned for the future.

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